The Canadian Medical Association partnered with L’actualité magazine to host a town hall discussing the future of Medicare on June 2, 2011, in La Prairie, Quebec. Panelists included the heads of the Quebec Medical Association, the Quebec Federation of Senior Citizens (FADOQ), the Council for the Protection of Patients, and the Priority Cancer Coalition.
Some of the same themes from previous town halls emerged at this one, including a call for government to provide more long-term care, home care, and pharmacare. However, when it came time for comments from the audience there were a few things said that I had not heard at the other town halls. A man at the microphone telling us about paying for a surgery and receiving it the next day rather than waiting on a list for a year in the public health care system. A woman suggesting that the Canada Health Act be modernized and people start saving money for private care so they can be treated quickly. Other women and men expressing their disbelief that we are getting value for money in public health care.
Our senior citizens, often the staunchest defenders of government-run health care, are beginning to really question Medicare and with good reason. For behind its false sense of security lies a stark reality – when it comes to cutting costs in government health care the knife is more likely to fall closest to those nearing the end of their lives.
It’s time for old and young alike to embrace a new health care system. The first step to overcoming the fears that tether us to Medicare is to look not at its intentions but at its results.
It sounds like some sense prevailed at the meeting. Yes, Medicare provides a false sense of security. Yes, people should be free to spend their own money on better, faster care. To suggest that they should not be allowed to implies that they are serfs of the state rather than free individuals.
The problem with Canadians has been that they have been trying to fix the flawed paradigm of socialist health care. It never will work no matter how much you tweak it. Free markets are needed. Not more government.
I’m on the fence about free markets and a federal/provincial run medical system. I definately agree that the system is flawed as hell, but it also offers those in the middle-lower (or less) income class/area a break for medical care.
That said, I also have to agree with having a free market; it would 1) ease the burden of stress of what’s currently on our health care, 2) allow immediate health care to those who can afford it (with or without insurance), 3) the lightened burnded will allow a more effeciate allocation what we currently have to those who can’t afford private health care.
I also want to mention, if it was “restructured” in a manner, as well as having its funds properly allocated in a more effecient manner (addressing the core issues, services and dependcies first), as well as having better adminstration to run it all (in the first place), I’ll say this’ll make our health much, much better and bring it up to what it’s capable of.