QandO: Repealing the Price Mechanism

September 17, 2004

Repealing the Price Mechanism
Posted by Jon Henke

In a recent press release, John Kerry claimed that:

“The election comes down to this. If you believe this country is heading in the right direction, you should support George Bush. But if you believe America needs to move in a new direction, join with us. John and I offer a better plan that will make us stronger at home and more respected in the world. And we need your help to do that."

.....citing--inter alia--"The number of uninsured has swelled under Bush" to "15.6 percent of the total population".

And he has a plan to reverse that. Essentially--with mandated government intervention for health care by fiat--it amounts to socialized medicine.

So, how's that working out elsewhere?

Canada often boasts its universal health care program shows it is more caring than the United States, but the system is creaking alarmingly, with long wait lists for treatment, and shortages of cash and doctors.
[...]
As the politicians bicker, Canadians spend more time waiting in line. A study by the right-wing Fraser Institute this month said that average waiting time for treatment in 2003 rose to 17.7 weeks from 16.5 weeks in 2002.
[...]
Some delays are much longer. Patients in Ontario who require major knee surgery can wait six months to see a specialist and then another 18 months for surgery.
[...]
Statistics Canada said in June that some 3.6 million Canadians, or 15 percent of the population, did not have a regular doctor last year. This means hospital emergency rooms are flooded by people with routine problems.

And that's in Canada....the Democratic Party's Health Care Promised Land.

Remember: if you don't like to see 15% of America uninsured, the Democrats have a solution. They'll insure so many people that 15% of Americans won't even be able to see the doctor. (which keeps costs down!)

(via Econopundit)

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Comments

Every now and again there is a story in the MSM where some Royal Saudi Prince Abdullah Whathizznutzah flys in to the USA for medical treatment...why don't they fly to the EU or Canada????...hmmmmm. It's one of two things. A) the USA has the best medical treatment available or B) the MSM story was fake...but there was some Saudi dude that needed medical treatment.

Posted by: mark m at September 17, 2004 09:04 AM

Yes, private health care is illegal in all Canada except Quebec (because they threatened to break off from Canada, heh). So everyone has to wait, no exceptions.

In the last few days, Canada signed a new financing deal for Health care with it's provinces for more than 41 Billion dollars.

Putting that in perspective, that is for a population of less than 10% of the US. Is the US ready to spend 500 billion on healthcare. Off course this was to catch the system up, not to start one. Comparative costs might be more than 3 times that number.

Posted by: capt joe at September 17, 2004 09:38 AM