HokieBird wrote:Well, have you also complained about those posting their anecdotal evidence that there aren't any wait times?
No, I haven't. But if you followed the numerous threads on the topic, you will have noticed that people posted their positive anecdotal evidence
in reply to people posting devastating anecdotal evidence that the Canadian system was <ahem> merely days away from a total collapse.
You may call this an exercise in futility, and we can probably all agree that you can find horrible stories where the system miserably failed patients from almost any country, but it will lead us nowhere.
HokieBird wrote:I think the lawsuit story is informative because it tells us that there will be some major changes in Canada's health care program.
Yes. Good for them. Studies have in fact shown that among countries with universal health care systems, no matter whether those were single payer systems or not, the Canadian system
does have some problems.
Surprisingly, those studies have also shown that the Canadian system is still a bit better than the American one. So if Canadians are now working to improve their system, more power to them.
HokieBird wrote:As I understand it, the Supreme Court's ruling affects only Quebec, which now can allow private clinics on a limited basis. For the rest of Canada, I believe it's still illegal to operate in the private sector.
We will see what this will result in. I'm not at all opposed to a privately operated system, as long as it can provide universal health care coverage. Chances are that some level of government regulation will be necessary to achieve that goal, though.
Oh yes. Analysing the problems is the first step towards improving the system, isn't it? And contracting the private sector to deliver publicly funded health care services doesn't seem to be such a bad solution at all.
