August 2009
Canada Tells Residents To Be Patient – Or Fly South For Health Care
Belinda Stronch, a member of the Canadian Parliament is one of the strongest supporters in Canada of the nation’s government health care program. Yet, according to a May 5th article by Ed Feulner of CNS News, Belinda was diagnosed with cancer in 2007. Was she cared for by the Government Health Care system that she so strongly supports? No, she came to California and paid out-of-pocket to receive treatment.
Another woman was flown from her home in Calgary, Alberta to Great Falls, Montana to deliver her quadruplets because this relatively small city in Montana had “better facilities than any hospital in the wealthy province of Alberta.” Government-run socialized health care has been in place throughout Canada since 1966. This system has been pointed to as a model not only by proponents of California’s SB 810 (2009) but also, according to analysts, by the President’s new government health care initiatives.
After paying so much in taxes to fund Canada’s healthcare system, most Canadians can’t afford to travel to the US and pay for their own medical care. Canada has a population of 32 million and 3.2 million Canadians (1 out of every 10) are on waiting lists to see even their primary care physicians. These circumstances, grim at best, lead to the question: If the United States adopts a Government Health Care system similar to Canada’s, where are the Canadians going to go to get their medical care? By the way, where will Americans go?