Canadian Health-care: On The Verge Of Collapse

[the tortured one]

Canada's universal health care system, the darling of collectivist statists for years, is teetering on the verge of collapse. The catalyst for it's destruction may have just been ignited.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/fe...ml?id=110006813

I wonder what will happen to the democrats? universal "feel-good" health-care is practically the only thing that party has left.

[BurgessLau]

Canada's universal health care system, the darling of collectivist statists for years, is teetering on the verge of collapse.

I read the linked opinion-piece. It provides no evidence that socialized medicine is "on the verge of collapse." As the plaintiff in the case said, he is saving socialized medicine, not destroying it. A "moderate" system will survive much longer than an "extreme" one will, because the moderate one will have a mixture of reality-oriented band-aids to keep it going for decades.

[Captain Nate]

Canada's universal health care system, the darling of collectivist statists for years, is teetering on the verge of collapse. The catalyst for it's destruction may have just been ignited.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/fe...ml?id=110006813

I wonder what will happen to the democrats? universal "feel-good" health-care is practically the only thing that party has left.

Nothing. Can we really expect a group of people who have, for decade, pursued irrational and immoral policies to suddenly about face when an example of their policies fails again[/]?

Only one emoticon describes them:

Edited June 16, 2005 by JMeganSnow

[drewfactor]

I'm a Canadian who works up here as a nurse in our "universal health care system." I've been watching this unfold from up close, so perhaps I can fill in on this issue.

It's an interesting situation, and I think many Objectivists would find this a great case of justice being served. Namely, the whole thing got started when a doctor and a patient went to court over their individual rights to make a contract and exchange a fee for service with regard to some type of orthopedic surgery. As in the United States, individual rights are protected by the Constitution, ours are supposedly protected by our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, we have another document called the Canada Health Act which is essentially a guaruntee of the "collective rights" to universal health care. What this means is that private health care is in a large part banned. In other words, it is illegal for doctors and patients to privately exchange fee for service in a free market fashion for many services.

Anyway, justice has been served because the ruling for the case was in favor of the individual rights of the doctor and patient to make a contract and exchange fee for service. This is espcially just when you consider the amount of time these people spent rotting on waiting lists.

The reality is that this has delivered a shattering blow to our monolithic socialist relic which is our "Universal (lack of) access Health care." Believe me, many of our leftists up here are finally conceding that maybe our system just doesn't work.

Just how absurd is this: Our politicians are proposing to save socialized health care by sending people on waiting lists to *gasp* the United States, where they will receive private care, at TAXPAYER EXPENSE! I can't bear the absurdity.

[gags]

Just how absurd is this:  Our politicians are proposing to save socialized health care by sending people on waiting lists to *gasp* the United States, where they will receive private care, at TAXPAYER EXPENSE!  I can't  bear the absurdity.

The gyrations they will go through to salvage such a bad system are amazing.

[drewfactor]

I just wanted to add something I just found out from listening to John Ridpath in an interview. Apparently, when the Candian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was drafted, "property rights" was ommitted from the document. Basically, our charter says: "Everyone has a right to life, liberty, a decent job, 3 square meals a day, and a hip replacement." Hmmmm..No wonder the concept of property rights is so alien to eveyone up here.