David Gratzer, a Canadian-trained doctor, writes from his perspective as a doctor who is seeing the lower level of care Canadians receive because the government rations the care through long wait lines.
Only half of ER patients are treated in a timely manner by national and international standards, according to a government study. The physician shortage is so severe that some towns hold lotteries, with the winners gaining access to the local doc.
Overall, according to a study published in Lancet Oncology last year, five-year cancer survival rates are higher in the U.S. than those in Canada. Based on data from the Joint Canada/U.S. Survey of Health (done by Statistics Canada and the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics), Americans have greater access to preventive screening tests and have higher treatment rates for chronic illnesses. No wonder: To limit the growth in health spending, governments restrict the supply of health care by rationing it through waiting. The same survey data show, as June and Paul O'Neill note in a paper published in 2007 in the Forum for Health Economics & Policy, that the poor under socialized medicine seem to be less healthy relative to the nonpoor than their American counterparts.
He notes that those nations such as Canada, Britain, and Sweden that fully adopted the socialized mode for their health care are now taking steps to reintroduce private health care in their countries.
Americans need to ask a basic question: Why are they rushing into a system of government-dominated health care when the very countries that have experienced it for so long are backing away?
Good question.
3 comments:
Why are they rushing into a system of government-dominated health care when the very countries that have experienced it for so long are backing away?
Power, control.
Those, ic, and probably because they will not be forced to endure its deficiencies themselves. If they need a kidney, liver, heart or brain transplant, they'll go to the head of the line, but Aunt Minnie, from Podunk, will be sent to the rear if she's not too old or infirm and didn't vote for the wrong party last election.
The writer claims "Canada, Britain, and Sweden that fully adopted the socialized mode for their health care are now taking steps to reintroduce private health care in their countries."
...
He doesn't sound like he knows what he is talking about. Britain has had private health care for the last 100 years.
The health care system in Britain is dual track - those who want luxury levels of private treatment and are able to pay for it, have always been able to have it.
It makes you wonder what other nonsense he is trying to pass off as "fact".
Every other industrialized nation has health care for all citizens. Americans deserve it too.
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