Hey everyone, remember when I said "
our approach to public health care only keeps getting a pass from our citizens because Canadians are like seals trained to say "At least it is better than the American system!" any time someone points out that our system is mediocre to shit"? Well, here's one of those trained seals.
Meanwhile, in reality:
"
But with Canadian health care tempting our southern neighbours, it’s a good time to ask if Canada itself, which also ranks poorly in these international comparisons, is using the right model. After all, there are numerous universal systems across the developed world, from Europe to Japan. Most of them have avoided Canada’s epic wait-times, outdated equipment, and shortages of staff and facilities that have led to “hallway medicine.” These more successful systems’ main difference with Canada is simply that they allow the private sector to pitch in.(5)
For example, the CWF surveyed what percent of elective surgery patients had waited four months or longer in the past two years. US wait times were much better than Canada’s, with only 3% of American patients having waited four months, compared to 18% here. But the universal systems that do maintain a strong role for private insurance actually put in US-style numbers: In Switzerland, only 6% had waited four months or longer, in the Netherlands just 4%, and in Germany 0%.(6) These numbers suggest that it is possible to eliminate waiting times while maintaining universal coverage."
Canada’s Health Care Woes: Waiting Lists, Outdated Equipment, Staff Shortages – IEDM/MEI
My wife is over two years out to see a specialist for an ear condition that is getting continually worse - pain, hearing loss, triggers migraines which prevent her from doing much at all - and neither us nor the doctor she saw over
two years ago can tell us what it is or if it's serious or not
. People who trip over themselves to defend our lackluster healthcare are useful idiots when campaign time comes around and a politician mentions that the opposition is trying to "Americanize our healthcare system," because they completely ignore that, on the global stage, our healthcare is both expensive and achieves poor results compared to other universal healthcare. Our healthcare does a bad job, and I'm really tired of the American bogeyman used to distract from that.
And yes,
@Halifax - good point about the administrative creep. I honestly think that's a common problem with many public systems in general, because there is little to no incentive to remove people from positions, but increased incentives to do more. More, as in more record keeping, more special interest items, more oversight, more committees, more more more - until the people who do "more" outnumber the people who do the job. When it's tough to fire and the money you're spending isn't money you have to produce from the institution you're running you have an incentive to keep adding things and rarely to become more efficient at what you're doing - and politicians are always there to promise "more." I've seen this happen in the University system to a degree you wouldn't believe in the past twenty years.
