Brett Skinner, Director of Health, Pharmaceutical and Insurance Policy Research for the Fraser Institute, Canada’s leading think tank is urging that California and other states so inclined avoid the Canadian approach to health care.
“Canada is currently witnessing the failure of its own single-payer health insurance system. Faced with this example, why would Americans want to adopt such a system for themselves? The fact is that the Canadian model is an example of what not to do in health care,” said Mr. Skinner.
He went on to say:
“Canada’s public health insurance monopoly is failing and millions of Canadian patients wait so long for treatment that they are no better off than uninsured Americans.”
The article states that the current average wait time from one seeing his or her family physician to being able to see a specialist is 18 weeks. Statistics show that of the patients who received health-care services in 2005, 11 percent waited longer than three months to see a specialist, 17% waited longer than three months to get necessary non-emergency surgery; and 12 percent waited longer than three months to get necessary diagnostic tests.
While Canadians are forced to wait for treatment, the system legally prevents them from seeking treatment elsewhere and paying for it from their own pocket unless they choose to leave the country.
Most important for any state in the U.S. is that the report produced by the Fraser Institute shows that the Canadian system is not financially sustainable in the long run.
Wisconsin would do well to take Mr. Skinner’s words to heart.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
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