Posted on 12/11/2009 12:24:21 PM PST by Ed Hudgins
As the U.S. Senate argues about how best to take over the American health care industry, it is worth taking a look at how government health insurance works here in Canada, where I live. Judging from popular opinion, one would think Canadian health care was great. My fellow Canadians by and large love their single-payer, universal coverage, according to a recent Nanos Research poll. Fully 80 percent of the 1,005 Canadians interviewed support universal health care, with another ten percent supporting it somewhat. A mere five percent were opposed or somewhat opposed, with the remaining five percent unsure.
Yet these poll results are frankly surprising, because universal coverage in Canada comes at a high cost: long waiting lists. The free-market Fraser Institute’s latest annual report on waiting lists was released on October 29, 2009. The study found that “waiting time between referral from a general practitioner and treatment, averaged across all 12 specialties and 10 provinces surveyed” was about 16 weeks this past year. While improved slightly from around 17 weeks the year before, this is still an awfully long time to wait, whether for cancer treatment (5 weeks), “elective” heart surgery (8 weeks), or brain surgery (33 weeks!). Patients also waited over 4 weeks for a CT scan and almost 9 weeks for an MRI.
To be fair, roughly one third of respondents in the Nanos poll mentioned above identified “waiting times for treatment / lack of accessibility” as our system’s key weakness. Another 14 percent thought the fact that there are “not enough doctors, nurses and/or personnel” was its number one failing. Still, in spite of these defects, most Canadians support our system. Why aren’t more Canadians more upset about having to wait for health care?
Please Remain Standing—the Doctor Won’t See You Shortly!
There are …
Because we are brainwashed and have never known anything better.
I had serious abdominal cramps a couple of years ago. I endured it for a couple of days, then decided to go to my GP. He saw me right away, took an X-ray and immediately referred me to get a MRI. I drove myself to the MRI office (about 10 minutes) and withing a hour had my MRI done. They read it and referred me to the ER. I drove myself to the ER and proceeded withing a few hours had a room.
16 weeks????? That would suck. Mine was not serious enough to require an ambulance, but it would nohave taken long for it to get serious (I ended up staying in the hospital 12 days!)
Huh??? "The problem is not long waits, the problem is lack of doctors." "No, no, no. I disagree. There lack of doctors is not a problem, it is the long waits to see them that I dislike.
LOL. Mine too. And an MD! It's funny listening to Canadians talk about the American system and Americans talk about the Canadian system. They are all experts that don't know what they are talking about. They all have their portfolio of horror stories form the other side of the border and can't understand how either group can live with such a system. There is, however, a very fundamental difference on how each views it's governments role in their lives and what their expectations are. Because of that, a US system would never work in Canada and a Canadian system would never work in the US.
Exactly !
Most have no basis for comparison. Recently my stepmom, who lives in Canada, had a heart attack. Her care was 1950 medicine . I could not believe how primitive it was.
She ended up in a hospital in Niagara Falls Ont, a hot tourist destination and gambling spot. Their midsize hospital had NO cardiologist , no vascular surgeon etc..They had one very overworked internist..thats it.
But if you talk to Canadians they love their system. My mother thought she was well treated there because the staff was so nice.
I could not wait to get her here where she saw a cardiologist in a day.
BTW because of her age she was never put in an intensive care unit . She was put on a geriatric rehap unit.
All I could think was they were stuck in the time zone when the Government took over the health care. God preserve us from that fate
Is your Mom O.K.? Thanks for agreeing with me, but now I need to know if she recovered! :)
Because it’s FREEEEEEEEE!
Because they know no better. They are slaves in a tyrannical socialist state
My wife is from Canada. In early Oct, my Canadian MIL was advised by her Doctor that her cataracts were rapidly deteriorating and that she should have surgery quickly. Two days ago, a mere 9 weeks later, she saw the surgeon. She was advised that yes indeed, surgery on both eyes was in order, the sooner the better.
She was then given the first available surgical appointment – for May 2011 !!!
It’s not all bad though, they will try to get it done in Oct – Nov 2010, if she can agree to accept a last minute cancellation slot in either Edmonton, AB or Saskatoon, SK (2 ½ hour drive West or East). For this option, she gets to be on standby, ready to go for her surgery at any time, for a period of weeks or more.
Five years ago, she had her shoulder replaced. The diagnosis (left shoulder very painful, left arm essentially useless) took about 9 months, and then she waited over 2 more years before the surgery was actually performed.
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