Danny Williams, the Premier (Governor) of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador does not prefer American medicine. As is his right (and his choice) under the Canadian Medicare program, and under the advice of his Canadian Medicare-paid doctors, he preferred to go to Florida. And that’s not a bad idea when you’re in Newfoundland in the middle of winter. And if you have a vacation condo in Florida, as Premier Williams does, well duh!
Yes, some American hospitals (especially in Florida, Arizona, and California) are popular vacation destinations for about 40,000 Canadians a year, but guess what, Cuba is a lot cheaper, and will soon overtake them all! You can’t beat getting some good ol’ sun and surf in the middle of a Canadian winter! It’s pure dollar and sense wisdom.
A single-payer system in the Golden State is a wonderful idea that is only being considered because every other option simply does not make sense in the current economic climate. And Ms. Pipes may argue that government health care leads to waiting lists, rationing and lower quality of care. Yet, one thing you can’t argue with is Canada’s life expectancy rate which is almost 3 years longer than in the U.S.!
Oh yes, Canadian doctors heading south. A decade ago, a salary of $200,000 U.S. dollars was worth $320,000 Canadian dollars. Quite the premium. Very attractive. Today, however, $200,000 U.S. dollars is worth $210,000 Canadian dollars. There’s a heck of a lot fewer graduates going south. In fact, the word is that U.S. medical graduates are increasingly heading to the Great White North, fleeing the broken U.S. healthcare system, and many other U.S. professionals are joining them. There is now a waiting list for them to get in to Canada.
Most Canadians who are on waiting lists for healthcare are waiting for treatment of non life-threatening conditions, such as hip replacements and similar procedures. Yes, there are the serious cases. My brother in-law was on a list for a liver transplant for about four months. He received a liver, but his body rejected it. Within less than two weeks, he received another one. If your condition is life threatening, you shoot to the top of the list. This approach applies to the emergency room, as well. If you break your wrist, you may wait a few hours depending on the hospital and how many people are showing up. If you are having a heart attack, you will see a doctor within minutes.
Government spending on healthcare over the past 20 years in Canada has decreased, overall, creating major challenges for healthcare management and delivery of service, but nothing near what the U.S. has faced. In fact, the per capita cost of healthcare in Canada has been kept low (at about half the cost in the U.S.) precisely because it is publicly regulated and controlled. Private market driven healthcare costs are impossible to control centrally, regionally or nationally. This has been proven, quite spectacularly, in the U.S.
Canadian doctors and healthcare professionals are generally more prudent in using healthcare resources. Waste not, want not. In the U.S., for example, malpractice fears alone have doctors sending far more patients for costly procedures and tests than are actually necessary. As for pharmaceuticals, how many Americans are importing medicine from Canada over the internet? You just can’t beat generic drugs available at a fraction of the cost. You can’t beat good quality healthcare at a fraction of the cost. You can’t beat the fact that not one Canadian, not one, has ever lost their house or gone bankrupt because of healthcare bills.
And you just can’t really argue with that, eh?
Larry Rousseau
American in Canada with dual American-Canadian citizenship
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Reference:
Sally Pipes opinion piece.
"Why Canadian premier seeks health care in U.S."
San Francisco Chronicle
Yes, some American hospitals (especially in Florida, Arizona, and California) are popular vacation destinations for about 40,000 Canadians a year, but guess what, Cuba is a lot cheaper, and will soon overtake them all! You can’t beat getting some good ol’ sun and surf in the middle of a Canadian winter! It’s pure dollar and sense wisdom.
A single-payer system in the Golden State is a wonderful idea that is only being considered because every other option simply does not make sense in the current economic climate. And Ms. Pipes may argue that government health care leads to waiting lists, rationing and lower quality of care. Yet, one thing you can’t argue with is Canada’s life expectancy rate which is almost 3 years longer than in the U.S.!
Oh yes, Canadian doctors heading south. A decade ago, a salary of $200,000 U.S. dollars was worth $320,000 Canadian dollars. Quite the premium. Very attractive. Today, however, $200,000 U.S. dollars is worth $210,000 Canadian dollars. There’s a heck of a lot fewer graduates going south. In fact, the word is that U.S. medical graduates are increasingly heading to the Great White North, fleeing the broken U.S. healthcare system, and many other U.S. professionals are joining them. There is now a waiting list for them to get in to Canada.
Most Canadians who are on waiting lists for healthcare are waiting for treatment of non life-threatening conditions, such as hip replacements and similar procedures. Yes, there are the serious cases. My brother in-law was on a list for a liver transplant for about four months. He received a liver, but his body rejected it. Within less than two weeks, he received another one. If your condition is life threatening, you shoot to the top of the list. This approach applies to the emergency room, as well. If you break your wrist, you may wait a few hours depending on the hospital and how many people are showing up. If you are having a heart attack, you will see a doctor within minutes.
Government spending on healthcare over the past 20 years in Canada has decreased, overall, creating major challenges for healthcare management and delivery of service, but nothing near what the U.S. has faced. In fact, the per capita cost of healthcare in Canada has been kept low (at about half the cost in the U.S.) precisely because it is publicly regulated and controlled. Private market driven healthcare costs are impossible to control centrally, regionally or nationally. This has been proven, quite spectacularly, in the U.S.
Canadian doctors and healthcare professionals are generally more prudent in using healthcare resources. Waste not, want not. In the U.S., for example, malpractice fears alone have doctors sending far more patients for costly procedures and tests than are actually necessary. As for pharmaceuticals, how many Americans are importing medicine from Canada over the internet? You just can’t beat generic drugs available at a fraction of the cost. You can’t beat good quality healthcare at a fraction of the cost. You can’t beat the fact that not one Canadian, not one, has ever lost their house or gone bankrupt because of healthcare bills.
And you just can’t really argue with that, eh?
Larry Rousseau
American in Canada with dual American-Canadian citizenship
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Reference:
Sally Pipes opinion piece.
"Why Canadian premier seeks health care in U.S."
San Francisco Chronicle
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