A Look At Where Obamacare Is Headed?
Americans come on this blog from time to time and crow about how wonderful Canada's national health care is. A Canadian friend of mine, on the other hand, who's living and working (legally, of course!) in the USA, has told me how thrilled she is to have American health care...well, that is, before Obamacare passed. What are we in for? Well, this article in Canada's National Post seems indirectly revealing:
From Saskatchewan, cradle of medicare, comes news that members of the Roughriders football club there are able to queue-jump public MRI waiting lists by paying $4,500 to cover their scan and two others.According to Bill Carney, spokesman for the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region, the Riders use about six MRIS a year, which are scheduled where there have been cancellations, or after regular hours. The extra money actually allows the system to fund more after-hour scans, which can be offered to patients on the long waiting list. Has this provoked outrage? Public demonstrations and remonstrations?
Hardly.
"The Riders are a special case in Saskatchewan. We have the Rider nation," Mr. Carney says. "There seems to be acceptance by the public."
The Roughriders scenario illustrates everything that is wrong about the Canadian health-care arrangement, and everything that counsels for allowing parallel private delivery of such care. Some patients, including sports figures, whose livelihoods depend on being in top physical condition, cannot wait for MRIs, and have the means and desire to pay for them. (Less wealthy or "urgent" patients would also have access, were they allowed to purchase private health insurance.) The extra money the Roughriders currently pay increases access for other patients in the public system. Should more patients be allowed to go private -- with or without paying "extra" fees -- they would remove themselves from the public waiting lists, thereby reducing wait times for everyone.
The Roughriders aren't the only group in Saskatchewan that gets speedier treatment than average. If a person is injured on the job, and treatment is covered by Workers' Compensation, that person also moves closer to the front of the line for treatment. This is the case in other provinces as well. In other words, Canada already has "two-tier" health care -- you just have to belong to the right category of sick people to access it.
Note the word "languish" in connection with Canada's supposedly wonderful public health care system:
...A compassionate society will also not let its citizens languish on waiting lists or deny them the right to spend their own money on care if they choose to do so.
I used to be of the mind that government would protect us -- when I was 12. You?
Socialism has always been sold as a system under which everyone is treated equally. Then we always find out that some people are more equal than others, whether it be athletes, actors, congresspeople, other well-heeled, Communist Party members, Nazi party members, whatever.
All the protection I've ever desired from my government are from enemies, foreign and domestic, and those that would commit crimes against me.
I don't want or need protection from the consequences of my adult decisions. It seems that's what we're getting a lot of now. It's turning us into a nation of dependent children. "Health care reform", if allowed to stand, will be the final step down the road to total dependency on our government betters for everything we need.
cpabroker at October 26, 2010 4:27 AM
What was one of the first things Congress put into HCR? their exemption from it, along with senior members of the executive branch, and judges.
Hey, Congress, if Obamacare is so wonderful, why are you exempt?
I R A Darth Aggie at October 26, 2010 6:36 AM
The US has been a socilaist nation for over 100 years now.....it started at the top and the people at the bottom follow the example set by our Corporate and Political leaders. I don't believe problems like we have will ever be solved under a two party system and barriers to entry will prevent a significant third party effect. Influencing an existing party isn't going to cut it!
US health-care prior to Obama-care had little to do with market forces or competition,our politicians and lawyers saw to that long ago. Socialized health-care certainly has it's problems, however, Canada's health-care system is not a good example of socialized care.
Link to Frontline video...worth the time regardless of where one stands.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/view/?utm_campaign=viewpage&utm_medium=grid&utm_source=grid
nuzltr2 at October 26, 2010 7:20 AM
Hey, Congress, if Obamacare is so wonderful, why are you exempt?
I do hope you're not expecting an answer.
Flynne at October 26, 2010 7:24 AM
"I used to be of the mind that government would protect us"
It is far from April 1st.
How about England? They have apologized to the brain-dead guy whose NIH nurse turned off his ventilator by mistake. It's on film, because the guy was worried about the kind of care he was getting.
It's OK, they apologized, right?
"Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." I'm paying attention, and I want no part of it.
MarkD at October 26, 2010 8:25 AM
I do hope you're not expecting an answer.
Do I look stupid and ugly?
;-)
I R A Darth Aggie at October 26, 2010 9:12 AM
At age 12 I never gave a thought to government.
kishke at October 26, 2010 12:28 PM
got link MarkD? I'd like to send it out to everyone
lujlp at October 26, 2010 12:58 PM
Here ya go, lujlp:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-1159485
Poor bugger was tetraplegic before the NHS got its hands on him. Now he's tetraplegic AND severely brain-damaged.
Martin at October 26, 2010 1:42 PM
Damn! Missed a 5:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-11595485
Martin at October 26, 2010 1:46 PM
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