The single payer [and ObamaCare] activists point to the surveys showing
how happy many Canadians are with their health care system.
The statistics published by the Canadian Ministry of Health & Long Term Care belie otherwise, as those who actually *need and want* diagnostic tests and surgeries face ever-increasing waiting times.
The below link chronicles some of the problems inherent in government
run health care *everywhere* where, in the face of sky-rocketing,
budget-busting health care costs, politically empowered bureaucrats
arbitrarily exercise their unlimited power to decrease costs by rationing and limiting care and progressively increasing the hours and squeezing more work out of health care providers for ever-shrinking rewards.
The solution offered here, however, is *not* a dual "hybrid
public-private system" as proposed below- as this will only result in the same gradual
expansion of the public component due to rising expenditures and
administrative costs and as politically self-interested bureaucrats dole
out health care entitlements to progressively more political interest
groups.
This also violates the individual and property rights of
citizens who are forced to pay for others' health care services through
coercive government expropriation through taxes and redistribution of
wealth.
Rather, the solution is complete implementation of a
free market system - which has shown to be the engine of productivity in
all sectors it has been implemented- leading to technological
innovation, an abundance of goods and services at ever-increasing
quality and decreasing cost. It also involves a complete privatization
of charity care- not through governmnet funding, but through the
*voluntary* contributions of doctors and citizens.
Both morally
and practically, the free market system is the system that respects
the rights of doctors and patients to their own work and medical
decisions- free of government meddling.
For more on free market medicine, go here:
http://www.westandfirm.org/index.html
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Original essay:
"The
single payer advocates like to give testimonials of why we need a
single payer health care system. What many don't know is that universal
access to health care can be better provided for all Vermonters, but a
hybrid system, rather than
a single payer
system. We can achieve the goal of universal access with a hybrid
financing system that has both public and private financing, rather than
rely only on public financing as in the single payer systems.
The article linked below has many examples in the comment section of
how bad things can be in a single payer health care system. Here are a
seven of many comments posted in response to this article.
1)
People have no idea actually how bad the healthcare system is until they
need it. My husband waited 6 months for a PET CT scan in BC and he was
supposedly at the top of the list and priority.We eventually went out of
province and country for treatment and diagnostics as it was a joke in
BC. I have no doubt in my mind that his life was saved due to us leaving
the BC healthcare system.
Most people are blisstfully ignorant to the
fact that the state of healthcare in Canada might actually cost you your
life as you wait for tests or surgery..It's more than not having a
family doctor or being on a wait list....I just try and keep as healthy
as possible so I won't need to acess medical services......I guess
ignorance is bliss....
[The single payer activists point to
the surveys showing how happy many Canadians are with their health care
system. Those that are healthy and have not had to use the system much,
are the ones that view the system more favorably. Those that have to
wait for prolonged periods of time to get the care they need feel
differently.
The 36 year old Canadian woman with blood in her stool who
was told she would have to wait 9 months for a colonoscopy to see if
she had colon cancer was not so happy.
She did have colon cancer.
A gentleman who was told he would have to wait over 4 months for an MRI
to see if he had brain cancer, was similarly not satisfied with the
Canadian health care system.]
2) Thanks to Immigration Canada,
we have been accepting hundreds of thousands of seniors the last 30
years under the family reunification program, those who never
contributed a penny to Canada, and tens of thousands of bogus refugees,
no wonder those who paid all their lives to the system can't have access
to the health care system. Furthermore, why are these people eligible
to receive Old Age Security and Supplement income when they never
contributed a penny to Canada?
[Some worry that Vermont will
have a similar problem with medically needy patients moving to Vermont
for what is perceived as low cost or free care, particularly for high
cost services such as organ transplantation and cancer treatments.]
3) and one more thing... I don't know about you, but my doctor's
appointments are scheduled for a maximum of 10 minutes. 10 minutes! AND
not only that, but I have been instructed by the doctor to stick to one
problem per visit. So, if I want to talk about a different issue than
the one I made the appointement for...
I need to somehow get to the
doctors office on another day for another appointment.
Unless you're retired, or your doctors office is close to where you work... it's a big hassle.
[It is even worse in the single payer health care system in Taiwan,
where doctors spend only 2 to 5 minutes with each patient. Taiwan's
system was devised by the same person who devised Vermont's single payer
system - William Hsiao.]
4) Here's a wait time story for you all to enjoy.
I was originally booked to see an Opthamologist here in St. John's
about one year ago in June of 2011. My appointment was for May 2012.
Sure I get he's a busy guy. To take it to a whole new level, I was
called about 2 months ago and I was told the doctor is going on vacation
and they're not sure when he will be back. They had to push my
appointment off 3 months until August. A 3 month vacation?!? Must be
nice. So at this point if everything goes well and I see this doctor in
August, my wait time will have been about 14 months. Not good enough.
[When the
global budget runs out of money, doctors are sent on holiday until more funding becomes available in Canada.
Vermont's single payer system will similarly use global budgets to
control health care costs. When the money runs out, but the health care
needs continue, delays will occur, as in Canada.
5) Among the reasons for increased wait times for patients are:
* Nursing staff cuts. The CEOs in all Canadian hospitals have cut
professional nursing (R.N.s) staff numbers significantly. This has
effected many senior experienced nurses specifically because of the
salary they are/were earning as well as their pensions.
Only skeleton
nursing - type staff remain; reduced R.N. positions have been replaced
with nursing aids and other less qualified health employees. This
situation contributes to increased wait times because by the time very
ill patients are admitted the care service they require is so immense
that it impacts other patients on the ward.
This is sometimes dealt with
by discharging patients well before they are ready to cope at home
which contributes to a re admission. This whole "inadequate - care"
cycle contributes to a back log of patients which impact wait times for
all.
* Physicians in surgery/emergency and triage areas across
Canada are and have been questioned and taken to task by hospital CEOs
in regard to whether or not a patient(s) should be admitted based on
their health acuity as decided by the physician NOT the CEO. Over the
past 6 months many physicians have threatened to withdraw services if
their diagnostic expertise continues to be argued by CEOs. This ongoing
hastle contributes to increased wait times for all.
[This is
what happens when bureaucrats focus on cutting costs for the systems
needs at the expense of the patients' needs. In
Ontario, bureaucrats
charge doctors for tests when the bureaucrat decides it was not needed.
The Green Mountain Care Board will similarly have unprecedented powers
over health care workers. The question is, will these health care
workers leave the state to work in other states where work conditions
are more favorable, than under the government controlled single payer
system. And if they do, wait times will be even worse.]
6) Been on a list for a family doctor for 3 years, still haven't heard a word. Never had one, probably never will.
Long Live National Health Care
[There is already a shortage of primary care doctors in Vermont. Many
are skeptical that the single payer system will improve this situation,
particularly when there is a growing nation-wide shortage of doctors.]
7) I live on the Island PEI and glad that I am not in need of future
selective surgery to have performed on my self, I feel for the other
seniors who are waiting for their turn to get treatment, it is not the
fault of Health PEI, but from Health Canada to not recognize our aging
POPULATION REGARDLESS OF WHICH PROVINCE YOU LIVE IN REQUIRES MORE
ADEQUATE MEDICAL PROCEDURES ARE NECESSARY, MAKING PEI A NICE PLACE TO
VISIT , BU THOSE DECIDING TO MOVE HERE AND BECOME RESIDENTS OF THIS
PROVINCE, THINK TWICE ABOUT DOING SO .
[If Vermont's single
payer system, that bears a striking resemblance to Canada's health care
system, develops the same prolonged wait times, as some have predicted,
Vermont may become a less desirable state for retirees, particularly if
Medicare gets rolled into the single payer system as planned.]
There are many other testimonials in the comment section from Canadians
who are not happy with their health care system. Some have pointed out
the superiority of some of the European health care systems that have
both private and public financing of their health care systems, and wish
Canada would adopt a similar system so as to improve their waiting
times. Currently paying for private health care services in Canada, to
avoid the long waiting times is illegal in most of Canada.
Read the
article from which these testimonials were extracted:"
The photo in this post is a couple of years old, from an earlier article.
