Monday, April 18, 2011
Two or three tier health care?
"... we are commited to making sure public health insurance is available, that no citizen shall be denied because they can't pay". So said Stephen Harper in the English Debate at about 1:40. Sounds pretty good but let's unpack it. First, "making sure public health insurance is available". What does that mean? It doesn't exclude other types of payment for health -- specifically private care. But that may be overreading. Except, look at the following passage: "that no citizen shall be denied because they can't pay". Stephen Harper chooses his words carefully (as is proper). By saying no citizen shall be denied because they can't pay Harper is leaving the door open to saying "of course, if you can pay you should". And then the question of what does "can't pay" mean? Put these two passages together and you have a dog-whistle saying we are going to move to a system with private care for those who can pay and public insurance available (but not mandatory -- maybe employers will pick up some insurance) but only the poor will get full coverage. A two (or three) tier health system. Now, there are respectable arguments to say we should not have universal health insurance. I think those arguments are wrongheaded and meanspirited but they exist. I just hope we won't see them in action here in Canada. (Thanks to CDB for pointing out this passage in Harper's comments)
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13 comments:
Anyone who thinks Canada would be better served by a two or three tiered healthcare service is in the pocket of the insurance companies and obviously hasn't looked south of our border lately.
You are torturing yourself into a pretzel to make Harper look like the bad guy.
The biggest threat to healthcare was the cuts to funding made by the Chretien Liberals.Full stop.
Martin campaigned to fix the crisis after 11 yrs. of Liberal rule.
The feds pay less and less into the system but still try to pull the strings.
I remind you that the demographics of Canada is getting older. A vast majority of healthcare spending occurs in the last few months of life. Baby boomers are reaching the senior age.
We are headed for trouble and I fear all the politicians, especially Liberals,are in a state of denial.
The only recourse you have is to attack your opponent.
Please provide some examples anonymous. You have an interesting albeit subjective opinion & I'm curious to see what it's based on.
After Mulroney, the IMF told the Liberal government in 1993, with the deficit we had, we would become insolvent. Martin did touch Health care..not all bur some and DID replace all of it. when the deficit was paid off, as well as putting some money in, against the debt, but one must remember the GST was there to help Apparently Harper never put one nickle or dime in the Health Care since he first got elected, only used what Martin put in...no extra as he was supposed to
"is in the pocket of the insurance companies and obviously hasn't looked south of our border lately."
And yet Prime Minister Chretien availed himself of that awful US system rather than seek tratment in Canada. Danny Williams, too. In fact, were I to research and publish the name of every Canadian politician who used the US system rather than wait it out with the rest of us, the list would be pages long.
Maybe we should ask what the parties intend to do to respect the spirit of the CHAOULLI decision. It is patently unfair that rich Canadians, and especially hypocritical politicians, can access speedy healthcare in the US simply because they have cash on hand while those same politicians prohibit the sale of health insurance to ordinary Canadians so that they could do the same.
So to conclude, JeninCanada, we have a two and even three tiered care in Canada already. The problem is our politicians are denying most of us access to it.
Gene;
A Martin pledge for a "cure" for the healthcare system..
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/mini/CTVNews/1085482987540_28?s_name=election2004&no_ads=
Median age was 26.2 in 1971.Now it is 39.7. The number of seniors will skyrocket.
http://www4.hrsdc.gc.ca/.3ndic.1t.4r@-eng.jsp?iid=33
Figure 1 (page8)in this document shows the exponential increase in health spending among the very old.
http://www.caledoninst.org/PDF/553820274.pdf
There is much more but I think it is up to you to get informed.
Oh oh, Liberal healthcare attack ad... busted for lying:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/story/2011/04/18/cv-election-lib-ad.html#
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