3 Myths About Canadas Healthcare System

Eight years ago, I founded an organization to expedite timely surgeries for Canadians on lengthy medical wait lists, at hospitals in the U.S.

At the time, many people were baffled. Why would there be any demand for such a service, since we have one of the best systems in the world was a question we regularly heard. And therein was myth 1 about our healthcare system.

Myth 1

In fact, compared with 27 other countries in the O.E.C.D., Canada ranks 6th highest in terms of cost of delivery of Healthcare; only mediocre in terms of health outcomes and, as reported by McLeans Magazine, dead last in terms of length of waitlists. To put this into perspective, when we formed our organization, there were 876,584 Canadians on waitlists, according to the Fraser Institute. In the ensuing 8 years, after throwing many billions of dollars against the issue, the waits have declined by only 6%. At this rate, it will take us 116 years to duplicate the zero waitlists found in many countries of the world.

Myth # 2

Which brings us to myth 2,Healthcare in the U.S. is simply not affordable. While it is true that well known hospitals in the U.S., such as the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic charge particularly high fees for many procedures, it is not necessary to pay these prices to get quality surgery at a small fraction of the usual and customary prices in the U.S. Examples:

Cardiac bypass surgery - $16,000 instead of $100,000

Hip or knee replacements at under $20,000, instead of $53,000

Hysterectomies at $11,000 instead of $32,000

When Tommy Douglas proposed the forerunner of our current Canadian healthcare system, he did so to prevent Canadians from having to lose their homes in order to afford their healthcare.

When we formed our organization Timely Medical Alternatives, it was for the same reason. Canadians forced to access surgeries south of the border in Canadas OTHER healthcare system need not pay their life savings to get surgeries, often life saving surgeries.

Myth 3

eventually, the current system will hit the financial wall and politicians will agree to allowing a parallel private pay system as found in every other country in the developed world.

Is this likely? Ask Gary Mar, the strong front-runner in the recent Conservative party leader election in Alberta. That is, until he mused publicly about modest moves toward private healthcare. He lost the election to Alison Redford

by: Mike Sjokvist

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