Two patient cases challenging the Alberta government’s monopoly on health care will be heard at the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary on June 25, 2013. I’m making the trip from Saskatchewan to Alberta because I want to hear firsthand the government’s argument for upholding legislation that prohibits individuals from acting in the best interest of their own health.
Your health does not belong to government nor does it belong to the members of the society in which you choose to live. Each of us must own the personal responsibilities and risks associated with living our life. Each of us must also be free to represent and pursue our own health care interests.
I’m tired of being forced to pay for Medicare and having politicians and bureaucrats tell me to wait in line, be quiet and take what you get. Why are we forced to depend on a failing government program? Why are we denied freedom of choice in health care? Why are we prohibited from spending our own money on our own health care?
I think health care legislation that infringes on the “right to life, liberty and security of the person” is unjust. I think Medicare, a system that erects political and bureaucratic barriers to health care, is unjust. I think forcing Canadian patients to pay for Medicare then telling them to take what you get or leave the country is unjust.
I think health care that values individualism, freedom and justice will lead to improvements in access and quality, greater transparency and accountability and a true culture of patient-centered care.
The Alberta court hearing on June 25th is a beacon of hope for patients like me who want the freedom to spend their own money on their own health care in their own country.
UPDATE: This court hearing is postponed due to floodwater in the City of Calgary. The new date is October 17, 2013.
I’m looking forward to reading your observations!
I’ll be taking lots of notes :)
I agree! Paying taxes for a ‘wait in line’ attitude is not healthcare.
It’s shameful that in the 21st century the only options available to Canadian patients seeking medical care are to wait on government-mandated lists or leave the country. Our politicians continue to tell us how great socialized medicine is for the people, yet when they leave Canada for medical care it’s a free market they seek.
Well said Heather. It is hard to believe it has taken this long for legal challenges outside of Quebec in Canada. I too am eager to hear what happens … keep us posted for sure. Here in BC I believe the charter challenge against the government is set for September.
The healthcare industry in Canada is thriving while Canadian patients suffer with sub-standard healthcare delivery. A country as prosperous as Canada should not have such poor health outcomes. Yes our present system has most definitely created an us, the patients versus, them the healthcare providers. There is nothing worse than suffering or seeing someone else suffer in our present system feeling helpless to access the services needed. This monopoly with rigid accountability might have better results. However when it fails it seems the only one who is penalized is the patient. It also needs to be understood that there are many patients in our country who have access to the care they need because of who they are or because they have the resources to receive private care either in our country or in another.
For years we have watched our healthcare system deteriorate. We hear the horror stories and for a moment or two there is an effort to placate us with government promises assuring us that they consider healthcare a priority and things will change. Sadly many of these promises are quickly forgotten until the next horror story or the next election. Public healthcare advocates are in a panic, busy, spreading their fear and gloom about their concern of another threat to our “public” healthcare system . Blinded by ideals that are not reflected in reality they try to hold us hostage with their fear but hesitate to admit how far our system has drifted from the ideals of its founder who himself was in favor of a hybrid system with private and public options using private service for his own family unashamedly. This is not about public versus private. This is about identifying the toxicity of our present system and recognizing the extent it denies our human right to healthcare especially when funds have been provided for that care. This is about demanding changes legally because nothing else is working.