People have been crossing the border into the US to get care for years. Why do you think that Buffalo MRI clinic bothers to advertise in Canada? The SARS related hospital closings just means the Canadians have a better chance of getting the Canadian government to pay for it.
Two things about Socialized Medicine:
1. It is prone to sweeping decisions and overreaction, like any other government program.
2. It is possible to get a full-body CAT scan in Buffalo, New York for $900, and the clinic will get you results within 24 hours. What engine of innovation and cost cutting made this miracle possible? (Hint: Is it possible to get a full-body CAT scan in Canada in less than a year, at any price?)
That's nice. I can get one at a private clinic in Hull Quebec for $750 and I can get one for my dog or cat in London Ont. for $1000. (No, they don't do humans there)
I can get a MRI in Sudbury in 5-7 days or if I want to drive to Timmins,(which would be a 5 hour drive for me) tomorrow. At no cost. My mother-in- law , who is in Southern Ontario, needed a CAT scan 3 weeks ago. She has cancer. She waited 4 days.
BTW last year a little over 600 people crossed over to the US for procedures that aren't done here. Ontario paid the bill.