My Fellow Americans?

London's Observer (3/3/02) carried a story saying that an "unpublished report shows some patients are now having to wait more than eight months for treatment, during which time many of their cancers become incurable." Another story said, "According to a World Health Organisation report to be published later this year, around 10,000 British people die unnecessarily from cancer each year -- three times as many as are killed on our roads."

The Observer (12/16/01) also reported, "A recent academic study showed National Health Service delays in bowel cancer treatment were so great that, in one in five cases, cancer which was curable at the time of diagnosis had become incurable by the time of treatment."

The story is no better in Canada's national health care system. The Vancouver, British Columbia-based Fraser Institute has a yearly publication titled, "Waiting Your Turn." Its 2006 edition gives waiting times, by treatments, from a person's referral by a general practitioner to treatment by a specialist. The shortest waiting time was for oncology (4.9 weeks). The longest waiting time was for orthopedic surgery (40.3 weeks), followed by plastic surgery (35.4 weeks) and neurosurgery (31.7 weeks).

Canadians face significant waiting times for various diagnostics such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound scans. The median wait for a CT scan across Canada was 4.3 weeks, but in Prince Edward Island, it's 9 weeks. A Canadian's median wait for an MRI was 10.3 weeks, but in Newfoundland, patients waited 28 weeks. Finally, the median wait for an ultrasound was 3.8 weeks across Canada, but in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island it was 8 weeks.

Despite the long waiting times Canadians suffer, sometimes resulting in death, under federal law, private clinics are not legally allowed to provide services covered by the Canada Health Act. Regardless of this prohibition, a few black-market clinics service patients who are willing to break the law to get treatment. In British Columbia, for example, Bill 82 provides that a physician can be fined up to $20,000 for accepting fees for surgery. According to a Canada News article, "Shortage of Doctors and Nurses Could Hurt Medicare Reforms" (3/5/03), about 10,000 doctors left Canada during the 1990s.

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There's a cure for our health care problems. That cure is not to demand more government but less government. I challenge anyone to identify a problem with health care in America that is not caused or aggravated by federal, state and local governments. And, I challenge anyone to show me people dying on the streets because they don't have health insurance.

but we spend significantly more than canada does on health care and have a lower standard of care. why? because most of the 'health care' spending in the u.s. goes towards administrative fees. one of the largest portions goes to medical underwriters who's entire job it is to figure how to not give people medical care. now that doesn't sound like an effective system to me.

one can trade anecdotes of long lines, denied care, higher costs, etc. about both systems. there are problems with the canadian system and other national health care systems but by and large, according to non-partisan research, they cost less and give a higher standard of care than the u.s. private system.

I'm not being cynical I just wondered where you got the 44% tax increase? I am interested in universal health care but I have not heard a figure on the taxes exactly.

I, who has a job, would like to have health care for myself and my family. I'm already paying for it now so if my taxes go up, it will offset what I am paying in health insurance to begin with.

And at least I won't be denied a claim just so some shareholder can get a profit.

I want to become an illegal. They have a better tax life than citizens do.

I wouldn't pay 1% more for the lazy asses who can't provide for themselves and expect me to do it.

Yes, i do it is inhumane other wise.