Irrational Fearmongering Over Expanded Private Healthcare Delivery Is Deeply Counterproductive

InsightSpencerFernando

The obsession with which many defend Canada’s crumbling socialized system exemplifies the mindset of mediocrity that holds our country back from our true potential.

Take a look at the following charts:

Fraser Institute Chart
Source: Fraser Institute: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/waiting-your-turn-wait-times-for-health-care-in-canada-2022

As you can see, by our own standards, healthcare in Canada has gotten dramatically worse over time, even as spending has gone up.

And compared to other countries with a similar level of development and per-capita GDP, we are spending more and getting less.

This is because Canada remains an outlier in terms of our restrictions on private healthcare delivery.

But now, this is starting to change, as the inevitable collapse of the socialized system becomes unavoidable.

With Ontario expanding private healthcare delivery, and with private delivery already having been increasing (albeit quietly) in many other provinces, the momentum towards a universal system that mixes widespread private and public delivery is growing.

Of course, this positive development has spawned some deeply irrational and counterproductive fearmongering from those who simply can’t let go of their rigid socialist ideology:

“A private system will only make things worse.

Longer wait times. Fewer health care workers. And more money coming out of your pocket.

We must protect our universal public health care system.”

“We need investment and leadership to fix health care. Ford’s plan will mean you’ll pay extra fees for care while more health care workers are driven out of the public system. On behalf of every Ontarian, I will fight to protect publicly funded, publicly delivered health care.”

“Not a word of this mentioned during the election by
@fordnation

Doug Ford Will Outsource ‘50%’ of Ontario Surgeries to Private, For-Profit Health Facilities #onpoli”

The freak-out by the NDP and some Liberals is also being matched by some advocacy groups, who are slamming Ontario’s move.

As noted by J.J. Mccullough, the opposition to Ontario’s expansion of private delivery within a universal system is a deeply ideological position that doesn’t make much sense:

“Your typical middle class Canadian has been so thoroughly propagandized for years to have a Pavlovian reaction to the words “private” and “health care” in any context that we can’t even expand what public insurance COVERS.”

“This is the very definition of ideological madness—to have activists arguing that giving people access to more (free!) health *care,* in terms of surgeries and procedures, is actually BAD because it violates the philosophical “principles” of the regime in some abstract way.”

“”It is better to die a noble death on a waitlist for a public surgeon than be operated on by a private one.” That’s basically the tradeoff people are being asked to make. Because again, the public isn’t being asked to pay any cost for this type of private care.”

Universal + Private is the norm in much of the world

In order to counter the irrational anti-private delivery attitude we see among many Canadians, we must keep pointing out that private delivery and universal access are completely compatible.

People in Ontario will be ‘paying’ by using their health card, and the government will be billed.

The surgeries done at private clinics will thus be funded through taxpayer dollars, the same as when surgery is done at a public clinic.

Adding private delivery simply expands access and incentivizes efficiency and competition in the healthcare sector, since many companies will want to compete in the lucrative space.

Anti-innovation & anti-competitive mindset holds Canada back

Whether it’s healthcare, our broken military procurement program, or the assault on our oil & gas sector, Canada has increasingly demonstrated an anti-competitive, anti-innovative mindset that is holding us back.

We put up with mediocrity and outright failure, so long as we don’t have to ‘change’ anything or try anything new.

In a world that is more dangerous, and in which ruthless competition is the norm, that attitude would see our country fall further and further behind our peers, until the gap in productivity, wealth, and opportunity is far too large to make up.

We need to thus remember the attitude and spirit of those who built our nation, who overcame significant struggles and built Canada into a country with immense potential.

They didn’t do that by passing up opportunities or being afraid of competition, they did it by embracing challenges and adapting to changing circumstances.

That’s what we must do now.

Spencer Fernando

Photo – YouTube

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