I & I Editorial BoardFor decades, Americans have been told that the only humane, decent health care system is one run by the government. The oft-uttered complaint is that it’s a shame that the richest country in the world doesn’t have universal medical care. The reality is that the universal systems in other wealthy nations are cruel, cold bureaucracies.
If there are any doubts that this is true, look northward, to Canada, where waiting lists for treatment are leaving “patients frozen in line,” Pacific Research Institute President and Chief Executive Officer Sally Pipes recently wrote in Forbes.
“When everyone within a country is trapped in a public health insurance system,” says Pipes, patients suffer through a median waiting time “for medically necessary treatment from a specialist after being referred by a general practitioner” for an average of 27.7 weeks.
“That’s over six months – the longest ever recorded,” she adds.
Pipes cites data from Canada’s Fraser Institute, which in its most recent health care report found:
- The waiting time from a referral by a general practitioner to consultation with a specialist “increased from 12.6 weeks in 2022 to 14.6 weeks in 2023.”
- That while the “waiting time from the consultation with a specialist to the point at which the patient receives treatment” actually decreased “from 14.8 weeks in 2022 to 13.1 weeks this year,” it “is still 133% longer than in 1993 when it was 5.6 weeks.”
- The “waiting time from the consultation with a specialist to the point at which the patient receives treatment” is still 4.6 weeks longer than what physicians consider to be clinically ‘reasonable.’”
The American version of government medicine is no great achievement, either. Pipes points out that patients covered by our country’s “free” care – Medicaid – wait “1.3 days longer than commercially insured ones” to see primary physicians.
At the same time, it’s been determined that Medicaid beneficiaries are “1.6 times less likely to successfully schedule a primary care appointment than those with primary insurance – and 3.3 times less likely to secure an appointment with a specialist.”
Though he didn’t launch Canada’s failing system – it was established in 1984 during the final term of his prime minister father Pierre, who “duped Canadians into taking pride in their substandard health-care system” – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defends the indefensible as many before him have. To his credit, he admits “our health care system isn’t living up to” the “promise that no matter where you live, or what you earn, you will always be able to get the medical care you need.” Yet he believes that all it needs is more money – nearly $200 billion more.
Clearly Canada needs to put a sharper focus on the mental health of its “leaders,” since they’ve been exhibiting signs of insanity by constantly making the same poor decisions over and over and expecting a different result.
— Written by the I&I Editorial Board
To paraphrase Winston Churchill: “Capitalism is the worst form of government-except for all others.”
To quote Milton Freedom: “If you put equality before freedom-you get neither. If you put freedom before equality you will get both.”
I’m sure Justin Trudeau would believe both aphorisms-except, of course, as pointed out by the editorial opinion, he practices insanity with his politics.
Big Medicine is a moneypit and statistically, going to a hospital is something like the third-leading cause of death in America from ‘medical errors’. ”Above all, do no harm”, unless there’s billions of dollars in it. Read anout medical fraud ans upcoding and check out the salaries. How much cheating goes on in med school…nevermind Canada, let’s work on US medical ‘profit centers’.
i am canadian i do not wish this system to be in usa its horrible i cleaned my dad room changed his diapers etc the cut staff doctors are so busy please americans vote against the stupid democrat trudeau is a communist his dd started this system castro the fr thought him.
This is what happens when healthcare is run by politicians and accounts.
Editor:
Well, yes, government healthcare sucks – but as “issues and insight” go saying so doesn’t amount to much. Want to do better? get at the why – why does government healthcare suck? I have an unpublished piece on this on my website at https://winface.com/node/6 – take a look and feel free to use it.
Medicare and Medicaid were established in the 60’s, over concerns about the increasing cost of medical care. Ever since, the government has stuck its nose further and further under the tent.
Still waiting for the cost of medical care to drop. Any day now, I’m sure.
You can’t blame Justine, Trudeau is by far the most divisive name in Canadian history yet Canadians have elected Trudeaus 7 times. We are incapable of learning from our mistakes, we repeat the same thing and expect different results. It is highly likely that another Trudeau is being groomed right now, likely a daughter. Canada is to big and diverse to be ruled by its 4 distinct a**holes, namely Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver. Those large centers are like part of a different universe, much like having 4 California’s spread across the country, leaking Progressives everywhere.