Outsourcing Socialism

For years, Canadians stuck on long waiting lists for medical care have travelled south for treatment. A British High Court ruling, however, could make it official National Health Service policy to ship folks abroad if they've gone without their guaranteed care for an "undue" amount of time. (What counts as "undue" isn't yet clear.) Of course, given the relatively high death rates of patients who undergo major surgery in Britain, it may be worth the wait.

Comments

[Don]

Considering the slow pace & poor quality of socialized medicine, it is a wonder that anyone is still defending such a system. And socialized medicine in places such as Canada and England benifit from the research done in relatively free systems, such as the US. Imagine how crappy the Canadian medical system would be if they were not able to import American tech and export excess patients.

[Madog]

So the UK government is paying American doctors to do the work that there aren't enough UK doctors to do because their socialized medicine systems causes a shortage of doctors? Sounds good to me.

[Saw Bones]

Where's the Brotherhood of British Physicians when you need them? This is an outrage! We need protection from those low-paid U.S. doctors.

[nm156]

Yeah, guys like Banting and Best would have made their discoveries so much quicker in the States. Jeez . . . Why is it that both sides of this argument ALWAYS play up what ever sets of facts suit their agenda. Right now Ontario is set to vote in a new provincial parliament. Yes there are waiting lists for procedures to rectify non-life threatening problems. That is not ideal, but is better than having a large portion of our population without any health insurance at all. Conversely, one of the parties (which looks set to form the next government) wants to scrap the deal for 3 new hospitals on the grounds that they are not 100% publicly funded. Neither side of this debate has a monopoly on virtue.

[Mark S.]

Well when you're waiting six years or so for that cancer surgery you need, I would say that it's pretty "undue."

[joe]

They should use the American system: if you don't have privately-provided insurance, you don't find out about the cancer until it's way too late to do anything about it. Poof, no expensive surgery!

[Julian Sanchez]

Joe:
Funny you should mention that...
http://www.cato.org/events/transcripts/020619et.pdf

[Don]

"Yeah, guys like Banting and Best would have made their discoveries so much quicker in the States."

Canada's medical system was socialized in the '60s. Back in the '20s, when Banting and Best did their work with insulin, the Canadian and American health care systems were for all intents and purposes the same: free market health care. The real question is: would Banting and Best make their discoveries in the socialized Canadian health care system of today?

[nm156]

Abso-freaking-lutely. The States is NOT the be all and end all of research in ANY field. Good? Yes. Best? Sometimes. Full of yourselves? Sadly, yes.

[tzs]

I've lived in Japan and the U.K. and have dealt with both of their health systems.

Basically, I decided if anything went really, really wrong with me I would try to get back to the US. I did realize that I would have to pay through the nose for it, however.

On the other hand, had LASIK surgery in Japan. They did a *very* good job and were extremely consciencious about tracking me until I was completely healed. This was a private clinic. Similar very good dental work done in London (private.)

[jody]

In the USA, you can get medical care when you want it, just don't pay the bill. Millions of Americans and foreigners , mainly from Mexico do this. I have a friend who had a 30 thousand dollar medical bill and she didn't pay it, just through it in the trash. They can't make you pay and so she ended up getting it free. Just make monthly payments of what you can afford so they won't call you about the bill--voila free medical care. For the record, I don't like socialized medicine or American prices and there are alternatives to both. I think both systems need massive change both Canada and the USA.