A Canadian doctor diagnoses U.S. healthcare
The caricature of 'socialized medicine' is used by corporate interests to confuse Americans and maintain their bottom lines instead of patients' health.
Universal health insurance is on the American policy agenda for the fifth time since World War II. In the 1960s, the U.S. chose public coverage for only the elderly and the very poor, while Canada opted for a universal program for hospitals and physicians' services. As a policy analyst, I know there are lessons to be learned from studying the effect of different approaches in similar jurisdictions. But, as a Canadian with lots of American friends and ... Full Story »
Posted by Chris Finnie
the author (a Canadian physician) makes some interesting comparisons between US and Canadian health care, with the Canadian system coming out on top each time. However, he fails to acknowledge the substantial societal differences between the US and Canada which account for the ~3-year difference in life expectancy, fails to acknowledge that a significant amount of health care innovation stems from (and is funded by) the US system, and fails to acknowledge that Canadians pay higher taxes to fund their system. As one of the commenters noted, "I don't see people flocking to Canada or Cuba to get the best medical care in the world."