Canada’s sacred cow begs to be put out of its misery
Canadians with chronic illnesses wait longer to see medical specialists than counterparts in seven other developed countries, a new international survey suggests.
Only 40 per cent of Canadians with chronic illnesses who took part in the survey reported waiting less than four weeks to see a specialist. And 42 per cent said they had to wait more than two months - substantially longer than counterparts in the seven other countries.
Germany, a country we had to go in and dismantle due to its run-amok socialism, is doing better than we are, because it doesn’t subscribe to the single-payer system. Only communist countries like Cuba and Canada make it illegal to source your own health care.
Yet still Canadians can’t bring themselves to do anything about it.
Despite the negatives, only 16 per cent of the Canadian respondents said the country’s health-care system should be completely rebuilt. Among the eight countries, only Dutch and British respondents were less likely to think their entire systems needed to be overhauled.
Canadians fought harder to save the Hockey Night in Canada theme song than they do to save their own lives. Lemmings.
You say, “Canadians fought harder to save the Hockey Night in Canada theme song than they do to save their own lives. Lemmings.”
That is an excellent example of people and their priorities. I’ve read and heard from many in the medical field in the UK, and a few in Canada. The stories they tell should be enough to turn everyone against government health care, but no. In the US I think it’s the “we’re going to get something for nothing” and “it’s our right” schools of thought have overridden any real investigation into what government health care will mean for Americans.
Why do they think people from all around the world, including Canada, come to the US for medical procedures many times?
Thank you so much for your kind words about our dog Miss Prissy. We have always had dogs, had to put two others to sleep in years past, but this one hit me so hard.
Have a great week.
Comment by Debbie — November 16, 2008 @ 2:33 pm
Have you ever even thought to find out how many people have to do without healthcare in the US?
No, I know. Wouldn’t have even crossed your mind would it.
Until the idiot left, and the moron right can figure this out rationally, it simply isn’t going to get better despite your whines about being able to buy it.
Health care isn’t free. Sounds obvious no? Apparently not…
Comment by skinny dude — November 16, 2008 @ 9:59 pm
Skinny
You make an argument that is really easy to agree with, and then you shit all over yourself. Really, if I want to deal with assholes, I can get them with real names - so temper yourself or piss off.
First of all, I am a Canadian, living in the USA without insurance. So yeah, it sucks. It would suck less if I had insurance.
The article I link to does make mention of the fact that people here are kinda screwed. However, the study also discusses European countries that have a dual-payer system. That means they have a gov’t/private combo - the best of both worlds. And they are far more content than Canadians OR Americans are.
So your argument is full of validity - but your attitude is full of shit.
RG
Comment by Right Girl — November 16, 2008 @ 10:38 pm
And may I just point out that Canadians are SO GODDAM OBSESSED with not being like the eeeevil, scaaaaary Amerikkkans that they never - ever - spare a thought to the European model? Lemmings, and fucking idiots to boot.
RG ~ not in the mood for trolls and assholes
Comment by Right Girl — November 16, 2008 @ 10:40 pm
Canada’s health care sucks
Comment by winston — November 17, 2008 @ 12:24 am
Yes lets scrap it and get American free enterprise health care. Be prepared to pay $1400.00 a month (family of 4)for reasonable coverage or get by on less and maybe have to lose your home on top of contracting cancer. Yes that is far superior to the Canadian model.
Comment by BL@KBIRD — November 17, 2008 @ 11:28 am
Bl@ckbird - thank you for that well thought out “hate America first” comment that proves to me that you didn’t read my earlier one about the European model.
You add so very much to the conversation, that I am in awe of your brilliance.
RG
Comment by Right Girl — November 17, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
Canada’s medical system is essentially communist. It is now too large a share of GDP to be sustainable and will fail, as all large-scale communistic enterprises do.
Canad’s medical care is second rate now, but we content ourselves with it in exactly the same way as Russians of the 50’s and 60’s did, with false comparisons to the US such as “we may have to line up but at least we’re not dying in the streets like in America”. We love our equal distribution of poverty in health care.
Like all such government enterprises, medicare creates dependency and along with a sense of entitlement all can share in, with everyone eventually wanting their “fair share”, now or later. It thus becomes impossible to change, which is always a reason to oppose government programs.
Canadians seem to have received more than their share of stupidity in life’s lottery - and medicare joins a long list which includes immigration, multiculturalism, pacifism, “soft power”, equalization payments and so on.
Comment by marvell — November 17, 2008 @ 1:18 pm
Yes, darlin’ RG, your commentors may indeed be idiots. First, I happen to have a family of 4 that I insure for about 1 quarter of what Mr. BL@KBIRD suggests above. I still have a house and no body has cancer. Maybe it’s just my sunny optimism caused by the fact that I didn’t buy more house than I could afford that keeps me cancer free. Second, we, too, spent an extended amount of time (6 years) without insurance due to several factors and still managed to go to the doctor when necessary for common maladies because guess what? Doctors offices take cash, too. We just didn’t go out to eat that month or to the movies or buy that big, flat screen t.v. In fact, during our uninsured period, I even had a non-medicare baby. I set up a payment plan with the hospital and doctor and paid her off by her third birthday. The point is, the government is never the answer. They will muck it up for sure.
Comment by TxSkirt — November 17, 2008 @ 1:41 pm
I wish the Canadians would fight for better health care! Then maybe it would remind some Americans that socialized medicine isn’t all it’s cracked up to be - not that they’d all listen - Hawaii just had a disaster in health care - but at least it’d be a little resistance to the leftist illuminati who want to put every facet of life under government control!
Comment by Gippergal — November 17, 2008 @ 4:50 pm
[...] CANADA’S sacred cow begs to be put out of its misery …. [...]
Pingback by Steynian 285 « Free Canuckistan! — November 17, 2008 @ 7:44 pm
shit all over myself? Why because I refuse to stand left or right? Does that confuse you so that you consider it shitting on oneself?
I see different systems around the world, and I’m not going to fall for some magical ‘oooh the Europeeeeeeans have a great model’ nonsense based on a poll of whether they’re content or not.
Come on I’ve heard enough of this if we only… crap that promises to fix all.
There’s no reason to me why a public health system can’t have stronger controls on how much is free without having people abuse the system, and properly funding it without everyone going batshit over gst cuts that hasn’t done dick all to help our economy anyway.
If having an opinion that I think is reasonable makes me a troll, then so be it.
Comment by skinny dude — November 20, 2008 @ 12:59 am