Kansas Health

Canadian questions appeal of socialized medicine

[Julie Lukic, "Canada is not paradise," The Kansas City Star, 8 December 2004.]

There may be a growing body of research indicating that single-payer health care systems such as that in Canada are ill-equipped to adequately provide for the needs of the public, but some nonetheless remain unconvinced. Perhaps testimonials from individuals who have lived in both the U.S. and Canada will be more persuasive. Sally Pipes gave her account of the downside of Canadian health care for Flint Hills earlier this year. Today, The Kansas City Star ran a column showing that this is not a rare perspective:

As a Kansas City woman married to a Canadian, I'd like to share some information with the disillusioned Americans who've threatened to make a run for the Canadian border.

I think I have some credibility on the subject because I spent a year and a half living there, and my husband spent the greater part of his life there.

For starters, the Canadian health-care system is a shambles. Socialized medicine doesn't work for a variety of reasons.

With no incentive to work hard, good doctors leave Canada and come to the United States. This leaves a severe shortage of doctors in Canada; creates long waits for standard medical procedures; denies people the ability to choose their own doctors, forcing many to accept a doctor the government assigns them; and creates an environment where doctors provide terrible service because they have no worries about losing patients to their competition.

It is also important to note that the health care in Canada is not free. Many Canadians pay 58 percent of their income in taxes to support this system that fails them miserably. Even after paying astronomical taxes, many Canadians choose to come to the United States for medical treatment because the risk of waiting in Canada could cost them their life. I waited eight months to get an appointment with a specialist for standard care.

Our country was built on capitalism. It is what makes us one of the strongest nations in the world. A socialist society creates an enormous ineffective government and robs people of income, prosperity and drive. It takes away people's incentive to work hard and creates a huge population who rely on the government for full support.

Let's not forget what made our country the superpower it is. Just ask the Americans who have spent time living in Canada (like me), or the Canadians who've left Canada to become U.S. citizens (like my husband). The grass is not greener on the other side.