Posted on 09/19/2004 11:32:22 PM PDT by modest proposal
Prime Minister Paul Martin declared the health-care agreement reached between his government and the provinces last week will “kickstart” a reduction in waiting time all across the country.
Now “kickstart” is a dramatic word — but in reality the agreement that will have Ottawa transferring $41 billion over a long 10 years to the provinces is not very dramatic at all.
As Premier Ralph Klein succinctly explained it, Alberta’s share will amount to just $300 million a year and pay the costs of health care in our province for only 17 days a year.
That’s like being told your job is being terminated and then being given a 17-day extension before being laid off.
Yes, not much of a cure-all at all.
Klein has been criticized in Eastern Canada for walking out of the health conference after just one day.
Yet what would you do if you had been banging your head against Ottawa’s bureaucratic wall for the past decade and obtained basically nothing from the federal government?
We can well understand our premier’s frustration.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information estimated that last year the nation’s medicare bill — which included private spending — topped $121 billion and cost 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The average Canadian now pays $5,500 in taxes, premiums and over-the-counter cash for health care. These are huge amounts of money and a huge investment.
So why are Canadians so dissatisfied with what they receive?
It surely isn’t the fault of our nation’s doctors and nurses.
They are dedicated professionals, and they are as frustrated as the rest of us over a failing system.
It’s going to get worse, too. The Canadian Medical Association this year warned Canada is facing a growing shortage of physicians that will steadily “imperil” the health of patients with “dire” consequences.
The Organization for Economic Development and Co-operation (OECD) ranks Canada 25th out of 30 nations with a ratio of only 2.1 physicians per 1,000 population. We’re 25th in the world — no wonder we have waiting lists a mile long.
One would think a figure like this would startle Martin and federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh. Perhaps even make them panic a little. No, they’ve given no signs whatsoever they think anything is wrong with almost total government control and delivery of health care.
That’s why Klein shook his head and walked out of the conference, leaving Alberta Health Minister Gary Mar to initial the ‘fiscal’ agreement.
What Klein wanted to do in Ottawa was discuss how to reform the entire system and make it work efficiently for patients across the country and rein in costs. But reforming the system is the one thing Martin and Dosanjh apparently aren’t interested in doing.
It’s quite obvious it’s the government stranglehold on health care that has put the system into a crisis, but Martin and Dosanjh have obviously accepted health-care czar Roy Romanow’s idea that the answer to the crisis is simply more government.
Klein has seen through this charade and knows that the real answer is more flexibility and innovation in the system. To this, Martin and Dosanjh give a thumbs down.
Taxpayers — not the government — will be forced to keep pouring money down the health-care drain with no chance the drain will ever fill up or the health-care needs of the people met.
There’s so much that could be done.
For instance, it’s a telling point that Martin, Dosanjh and Romanow adamantly refuse to allow user fees to deter abuse of the system.
They conveniently ignore the fact that, after user fees were outlawed under the Canada Health Act in 1984, visits to doctors and emergency rooms soared in some areas by nearly 20% within two years.
Modest user fees and other innovations, such as some privatization of the system, are desperately needed.
Sadly, each time Klein tried implementing cost-effective reforms, he has been warned by Ottawa to back off.
Indeed, the last time Klein attempted major reforms in the mid-1990s, Alberta taxpayers were fined hundreds of thousands of dollars by then federal health minister Diane Marleau.
Maybe if Ottawa had let Alberta experiment with the system, the province might well have led the way across the nation.
This time Klein shouldn’t back down on health-care reform.
This time Alberta should lead the nation, no matter what.
Of course, the socialists do not care if no one is happy. They only care if most are happy and some are unhappy.
Free health care= 41 billion dollars= second highest taxed country in the world= National average of 8 hours to see doctor.
what a plan.
i wonder why socialized health care is the latest fad among governments and certain politicians (KERRY). What is it that separates health care from food, clothing or shelter? All of these things are products that take effort and education to provide.
Why should healthcare be free when food costs money? If people have a right to free healthcare then surely they have a right to free food according to this logic.
I believe there is something sinister behind government desires to take over health care. The canadian system is particularly bad because they are not allowed a tier system as in britain.
I think the governments want more control over the populace and controlling who gets healthcare is a pretty powerful tool.
Time for Alberta to get out of Canada.
I am just happy that i do not live in canada. I would rather live in britain because at least people are able to purchased tiered health care (although they end up paying twice for what they would have paid for once under a capitalistic system).
I absolutely fear the day that socialized health care comes to america. I can picture the clinics swarming with the unwashed masses of welfare chislers as i speak. *has a frasier/niles crane moment*
Its now or never for Alberta, you either get out or eventually the problems in eastern Canada will be infesting your province. Keep fighting up there!!!
Only ignorant fools call it free health care.
So why are Canadians so dissatisfied with what they receive?
Could it be that Americans now want to tap in on the Canadian taxpayer's dime? The subsidized cost of drugs is driving states to purchase at the low cost. I'm surprised the outrage isn't greater. And the so called drugs from Canada come from questionable origin and quality
I definitely would not go around studying to be a doctor in america at this point and time. I have this terrible feeling that socliazed healthcare is coming whether we want to deal with it or not.
who wants to spend all that time in school only to answer to the government in your new job?
There are only 2 other countries in the world that have a full goverment run health care system. North Korea and Cuba!!
and the World health report (UN junk) ranks cuba above america in health care.
Its all so bizarre as to become exasperating!
http://www.cato.org/dailys/07-05-00.html
I tell ye what. I would rather get surgery in the good old us of A than oman and malta anyday.
Yep. And the provincial Liberals in Ontario outlawed private health care for good measure.
Particularly since the Plan allowed Quebec to opt out. Quebec is allowed private health care delivery while Alberta cannot and was fined millions of dollars for fighting the system. Hypocritical double standards favoring Quebec are business as usual under a liberal government.
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