Socialist healthcare failing in Canada

[DavidV]

By David from Truth, Justice, and the American Way,cross-posted by MetaBlog

NY Times:

Canada remains the only industrialized country that outlaws privately financed purchases of core medical services. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other politicians remain reluctant to openly propose sweeping changes even though costs for the national and provincial governments are exploding and some

cancer

patients are waiting months for diagnostic tests and treatment.But a Supreme Court ruling last June — it found that a Quebec provincial ban on private health insurance was unconstitutional when patients were suffering and even dying on waiting lists — appears to have become a turning point for the entire country.

“The prohibition on obtaining private health insurance is not constitutional where the

public system fails to deliver reasonable services

,” the court ruled.

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http://ObjectivismOnline.com/archives/002683.html

[softwareNerd]

Here's a funny episode, reported in this "We Stand Firm" post:

At a recent live debate in New York City, some Canadians tell New York Times columnist and single-payer advocate Paul Krugman what they really think of socialized medicine:

PAUL KRUGMAN:

Actually, can I just — I wanted to ask a question. And—

JOHN DONVAN:

Please—please do—

PAUL KRUGMAN:

—and I wanted to ask, actually two questions, to the audience. First, how many Canadians, would Canadians in the room please raise your hands. [ONE PERSON APPLAUDS, LAUGHTER]

JOHN DONVAN:

We have about seven hands going up—

PAUL KRUGMAN:

Okay, not as many as I thought. Okay, of those of you who are not on the panel who are Canadians, how many of you think you have a terrible health care system. [PAUSE] One, two—

JOHN DONVAN:

We see—almost all of the same hands going up. [LAUGHTER]

PAUL KRUGMAN:

Bad move on my part. [APPLAUSE]

[Zip]

We can hope that it fails. Like the ruling of the SCC said "Access to a waiting list is not Healthcare"