Friday, June 10, 2005
Canadian supreme court rules in favor of private health care
[Lawrence H. White, "Gasp – Canada’s Supreme Court legalizes private health insurance," Division of Labour, 10 June 2005.]
University of Missouri - St. Louis economics professor Lawrence White comments on the trend toward a free market in Canadian health care in this recent commentary:
Many critics of US health care point to Canada’s single-payer monopoly system as a “model” to be emulated. One small problem with that system: sick people languish in Canada’s waiting lines. One such person was George Zeliotis of Montreal, who says he became addicted to painkillers during his yearlong wait for a hip replacement, and wanted the option of paying a private clinic for faster service. The Province of Quebec refused to let him get private help. He and his doctor, Jacques Chaoulli, brought suit seeking permission.
Remarkably the Supreme Court of Canada has now mercifully widened the options for sick Quebecers like Mr. Zeliotis. (Contrast the US Supreme Court’s recent ruling against medical marijuana, which cruelly limits the treatment options for California’s sick.) The Canadian court struck down Quebec’s ban on private health insurance, opening the door to private health care. Canadian health care may now be moving toward the US “model”.
"The evidence in this case shows that delays in the public health-care system are widespread and that in some serious cases, patients die as a result of waiting lists for public health care," the Canadian Supreme Court ruled.
"In sum, the prohibition on obtaining private health insurance is not constitutional where the public system fails to deliver reasonable services."
Naturally, health-care egalitarians predict dire consequences from the Pareto-improvement of allowing anyone to buy better care:
"Creation of a private health-care system will benefit only wealthy people who can afford it, said Adam Natsheh, cochairman of the New Health Professionals Network, a lobby group that supports government-funded health care."
Better to have a system that benefits fewer people, Natsheh apparently thinks.
[Charles W. Van Way, III, MD, "The Strength of a Really Bad Idea," The Flint Hills Center, 8 May 2004.]
[Lawrence H. White, "Gasp – Canada’s Supreme Court legalizes private health insurance," Division of Labour, 10 June 2005.]
University of Missouri - St. Louis economics professor Lawrence White comments on the trend toward a free market in Canadian health care in this recent commentary:
Many critics of US health care point to Canada’s single-payer monopoly system as a “model” to be emulated. One small problem with that system: sick people languish in Canada’s waiting lines. One such person was George Zeliotis of Montreal, who says he became addicted to painkillers during his yearlong wait for a hip replacement, and wanted the option of paying a private clinic for faster service. The Province of Quebec refused to let him get private help. He and his doctor, Jacques Chaoulli, brought suit seeking permission.
Remarkably the Supreme Court of Canada has now mercifully widened the options for sick Quebecers like Mr. Zeliotis. (Contrast the US Supreme Court’s recent ruling against medical marijuana, which cruelly limits the treatment options for California’s sick.) The Canadian court struck down Quebec’s ban on private health insurance, opening the door to private health care. Canadian health care may now be moving toward the US “model”.
"The evidence in this case shows that delays in the public health-care system are widespread and that in some serious cases, patients die as a result of waiting lists for public health care," the Canadian Supreme Court ruled.
"In sum, the prohibition on obtaining private health insurance is not constitutional where the public system fails to deliver reasonable services."
Naturally, health-care egalitarians predict dire consequences from the Pareto-improvement of allowing anyone to buy better care:
"Creation of a private health-care system will benefit only wealthy people who can afford it, said Adam Natsheh, cochairman of the New Health Professionals Network, a lobby group that supports government-funded health care."
Better to have a system that benefits fewer people, Natsheh apparently thinks.
[Charles W. Van Way, III, MD, "The Strength of a Really Bad Idea," The Flint Hills Center, 8 May 2004.]
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