- Canadian Health Care - The Universal Health Care Message
The Canadian health care system is an example of the concept of universal health care. In Canada the system has
proven to be economically, medically, and morally superior to the "for profit" system in place in the United States.
When you live in Canada there is health care for everyone who needs it and this benefits everyone who lives
in the country.
Understanding Universal Health Care in Canada
Critics who want to highlight the warts of a universal health care system often are quick to point
out that having a single payor for your health care will mean that you have no control over
decision making and that decisions about what is best for you will be made by the people who hold the
purse strings ie a government bureaucrat.
That is not the reality of Canadian health care and it is an emotionally based message designed by those
who have a self interest in a for profit system.
It is, in fact, nothing more than a message designed to scare voters
who may not have any other information or experience with a health care system that is run in the interest of
the public.
The truth is that there are many bureaucrats making decisions about coverage for individual health care
requirements in the US. By contrast, in Canada medically necessary care is covered without any approval process. It is simply there when you need it.
Messages sent to the American public about universal health care giving control of personal health care decisions to the
government are perplexing to Canadians. Each person in Canada can choose their own physician
and participate fully in decisions about personal health care.
Decisions are made by patients and their doctors based on what is medically necessary and in the best interest of the
patient, not the availability of funds.
Here are other emotionally based criticisms of universal health care in Canada:
you have to wait in line or "wait your turn"
Delays can occur in any health care system. However,
when delays in the Canadian health care system occur, it is because health care professionals are trying to
meet the needs of those who have the most urgent need for treatment.
Delays in the for profit system south of our border occur because of problems with
insurance bureaucracy and approval processes.
According to the data collected and compiled at the Canadian Institute for Health Information:
"Most Canadians are receiving hip surgery, cataract surgery and radiation therapy within benchmarks."
wages are kept low in order to keep costs down
This criticism is surprising because it is
also a criticism of the for profit system where attention to the generation of profits makes low wages more attractive.
quality will suffer because there is no competition
Competition does not in any way guarantee that attention will be paid to quality improvement.
Quality is maintained through attention to quality improvement processes and a strong public accountability framework founded on
good legislation, labor unions, professional ethics and a well educated and well trained workforce.
Evidence also shows that the medical outcomes in Canada are comparable to those achieved in the US.
it is too costly -
Costs per capita in Canada are less than the US.
This is largely because administrative costs are less.
Roughly 30% of the per capita costs for health care in the US are spent on
administration whereas in Canada it is about 2%.
Taking care of people when they need health care is good for every person in a society.
All data indicates that healthy people earn more money, are more productive, are more financially
self reliant, and age in a less costly way.
The Canadian health care system works to provide health care for the people of Canada when they need it. This is not only a good thing
it is a smart thing.
And that is the universal health care message these professionals and experts have for our American
neighbors.
As Roy Romanow points out in the introduction to the video it is largely an emotional issue that is
presented when trying to portray the Canadian health care system as inferior to the American for profit
system, when in fact the data proves otherwise.
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