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OTTAWA — Canadians aren’t keen to pay more out of their own pockets to help the country cope with rising health-care costs, nor are they calling for governments to pump more money into the system. Instead, a majority of Canadians think efficiencies should be found in the existing system, with not a penny more thrown in the pot.
“There’s no way that governments can sustain the size and commitment to health care, especially with a greying and aging population,” he said, “And as a result we’re going to have to have some very tough decisions made and I don’t think we’ve got the ground prepared yet for that debate.”
Canadians want better health care without more taxes: Poll (http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Canadians+want+better+health+care+without+more+tax es+Poll/3412694/story.html - broken link)
At some point aren't Canadians going to have to accept more privatization with their system?
At some point aren't Canadians going to have to accept more privatization with their system?
Government programs is like drugs. Hard to get off it without experiencing serious withdrawal systems. It's going to be hard to make meaningful reforms like privatization because Canadians are addicted to liberalism and don't think outside the government box
Huh? There already IS privatization of the health care in Canada... public systems don't last because it IS an oxymoron for the word "government" and "cost efficient" to be together... why people think the two go together, I don't really understand... if someone told me to start a company and there would be an UNLIMITED amount of money (government money from taxpayers)... do you really think cost efficiency is at the top of list? My employees would all get six figure salaries including the guy that does nothing... opps... that already happens in government... the less the government has, the less it costs YOU... thats BASIC finance..
One thing I've noticed with some Canadians is that I think they get too caught up in not wanting their system to resemble the more private U.S system(even though we do have medicare and medicaid). They view their single payer Canadian system as being more fair and moral compared to the U.S sytem. What they overlook is that countries like Sweden have found room for more private services. So maybe Canadians could look to other European systems that have been more open to privatize services rather than the U.S system.
One thing I've noticed with some Canadians is that I think they get too caught up in not wanting their system to resemble the more private U.S system(even though we do have medicare and medicaid). They view their single payer Canadian system as being more fair and moral compared to the U.S sytem. What they overlook is that countries like Sweden have found room for more private services. So maybe Canadians could look to other European systems that have been more open to privatize services rather than the U.S system.
It's their system and I think the Canadian people will work out what works best for them.
I'am curious to see what their system will look like about eight years from now. They'll be experiencing some similar issues as America and Europe with demographic changes.
Kick the Harper government out, thereby reducing conservative waste and put the
savings into health care....problem solved.
Do you honestly think the Liberals, along with their buddies in the NDP (don't even get me started with the BlocHeads) could do any better. The last time the Liberals were in power, I don't recall Mr. Dithers doing anything to alleviate the problem.
OK, I have to straighten some things out here. First of all our system is way more efficent than the USA medical system. Just think of this fact for a minute. Canada supplies all of it's citizens with unlimited universal health care and only spends about half per capita of what the US government spent before the new health legislation, on American healthcare. The biggest problem in the Canadian health care system is not the cost but the interference and waste forced on the system by bad political decisions. For example, The government cuts back on hospital operating room hours. They do this to save money but it ends up costing them. Lets say you have an orthopediac Dr. Now what should he be doing? Well of course he should be operating. Now if he isn't what do you think he's doing? Well he's seeing everyone that's waiting for surgery in his office and giving them expensive treatments there. Not only is this costly in it's self but the outcomes of the delayed operations are not as good because of the wait.
Another issue that I don't think you Americans realize is that health care is a provincial responsibility and not a federal one. The feds have little to do with healthcare other than overseeing the Canada Health act and funding the provinces according to a formula. The only real influence that the feds have is the threat of with holding funding if the province does not live up to the minumum standards set in the act.
The whole reason we get so much more bang for the buck in healthcare here is that there is no money going to third parties that add nothing to delivery of care. What % of the healthcare dollar do you think goes to insurance companies profits and expenses? it's a real lot. You know that figure that I mentioned earlier that the Canadian government spends just over half of what the American does? That figure does not include the trillions of dollars that go down the drain to insurance companies in the USA. Your costs as a % of the GDP are way higher than ours. I heard a guy from GM giving a talk and he mentioned that it cost GM on the average $2500 more per car!!! to build them in the USA in healthcare costs alone, than in Canada. So much for the idea of saving money with a privatized medical system. Canada's system has it's challenges for sure but don't be decieved. The idea of taking medical private is always a right wing idea because they see money that is going out and they are not getting their hands on any of it.
I'am curious to see what their system will look like about eight years from now. They'll be experiencing some similar issues as America and Europe with demographic changes.
I'm thinking the same thing. Health care spending as a % of GDP is increasing in most developed countries. It's not a sustainable trend.
I think there must be a renewed emphasis on living healthier lifestyles and finding ways for health care systems to encourage that. The whole model of taking a pill or having a surgery as a way to good health is not working. The US is the most obvious example of this, but other Western countries aren't too far behind in this regard.
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