Sicko

Sicko

Michael Moore’s health care documentary “Sicko!” continues to be a provocative topic among HSI members. Here’s a note I received from a member named Matthew who has some first-hand experience with the Canadian health care system.

“I just wanted to take exception to what the ones who are or were living in Canada had to say about the health care system. What they are saying is nonsense. It just isn’t so. Doctors visits may last less than five minutes but usually last longer. There are no restrictions on how many issues you want to discuss with your Doctor. You don’t pay for medical services, although drugs (much lower in price than in the U.S.) and dental costs are usually covered by a person’s company health care plan. Prescription drugs are free for the elderly and people on Social Assistance. Neither in Ontario nor in any other province do you pay for health care. I’m not sure the ‘Canadian’ who made that claim actually is one. Wait times are not atrocious. They are reasonable. When my father-in-law was diagnosed with serious heart disease on a Friday, three years ago in Sudbury, Ontario, he underwent by pass surgery the following Monday. So much for atrocious.

“Nor do Canadians pay exorbitant taxes. If the costs of medical care in the U.S. were treated as a tax then Americans are taxed much more heavily than are Canadians. What’s more, our Federal government has consistently run budget surpluses for over a decade. The U.S. government pays more in interest on its debt in half a year than is Canada’s total debt ($450 billion). So to say that the country or the provinces are faltering because of health care costs is just not true. No province, even small ones, spend half their incomes on Health Care. Transfer payments from Ottawa are a large part of the share of Health Care expenses.

“No one doubts that health care is expensive. And Mr. Moore himself points out that the Health Care systems in large, democratic countries are not perfect. But NO ONE in Canada would give up the health care system we have for the bureaucratic and much less humane health care system that Sicko examines.”

I’ll post more comments about “Sicko!” in upcoming e-Alerts.