Crumbling socialist healthcare system is increasingly reliant upon the U.S. system to ease the pressure.
Deep down, defenders of Canada’s socialist healthcare system know that it’s failing. But since they can’t admit it, and since they know that any real debate won’t go well for them, they always compare our system to the U.S. healthcare system.
They act as if those are the only two healthcare systems that exist, and then point to the high hospital bills and many uninsured Americans as evidence that Canada has no choice but to stick with our current system.
Yet, when they make those comparisons, they leave two big things out:
First, that most of Canada’s peer nations have hybrid systems that mix universal coverage with some element of private delivery. Those systems also tend to cost less per person, while delivering better results.
Second, as bad as Canada’s system is, it would be even worse without the U.S. system taking the pressure off. Tens of thousands of Canadians go to the United States for treatment every year. Instead of waiting years for tests or surgery, many Canadians head to the U.S. to pay for treatment that is higher quality and delivered much faster. Thus, the Canadian system would be in an even worse crisis if the U.S. system didn’t exist and didn’t supply so much excess healthcare capacity.
Now, to get a sense of how bad things are in our current system, consider the recent announcement that the B.C. government will soon be sending some cancer patients to the U.S. to get treatment:
“The wait time for radiation treatments in B.C. is too long, Health Minister Adrian Dix said Monday.
Starting May 29, Dix said BC Cancer will be offering eligible patients the chance to receive radiation treatments in Bellingham, Wash.
Up to 50 patients per week could benefit from this program, he added, which will take place either at the North Cascade Cancer Center or at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. Over the next two years, that could add up to 10,000 patients, he said.
The lack of radiation technologists and therapists in B.C. has exacerbated wait times, along with delays due to equipment upgrades, the minister said.”
Take a look at that last sentence: “lack of radiation technologists and therapists…”
Why would there be a shortage?
The lack of the profit motive in the Canadian healthcare system.
If you have the skills to work in the Canadian healthcare system, you have the skills to work in the American healthcare system. You can also make much more money in the U.S. system, and you will likely pay lower taxes on your earnings. By moving, you can make more money, keep more of your own money, and live in a country relatively similar to Canada (no big culture shock).
Of course, not everyone will make that choice. Many choose to stay in Canada. But some will make that choice. And even a small percentage choosing to leave every year adds up over time.
Without the profit motive, without the full opportunity for medical professionals to advance and achieve greater wealth, Canada will struggle with shortages of the best personnel.
This could be remedied. A two-tier healthcare system that mixed private & public delivery with universal coverage would encourage more highly-skilled individuals to both come to Canada from abroad and stay in Canada rather than heading to the United States.
This is another example of why our country has to break out of our socialist way of thinking and embrace the possibilities that competition can offer.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
