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We don't need to go private to solve Medicare's problems. Read my April 17, 2009 Toronto Star opinion piece (MS Word).
See also the Canadian Health Coalition's campaign for Medicare.
Read about Tommy Douglas's Second Stage of Medicare in my paper from a new book published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Click here for details (MS Word).
Complete PDF Version of “Prescription for Excellence:
How Innovation is Saving Canada's Health Care System”
Click here for details.
Earlier this year, Dr. Robert Ouellet, president of the Canadian Medical Association, and other CMA officials travelled to the U.K., Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and France to study their health-care systems. Ouellet concludes that the Canadian health-care system performs poorly because our health system is one of the costliest (eighth out of 28 OECD countries) and yet many Canadians have to wait too long for care. Then his report focuses on more private sector involvement as a cure to our health system's problems. (See the CMA's plan on the CMA website.)
See also my October 2007 paper (PDF 1.43MB) for the Wellesley Institute on private vs public.
Canadians could have the world's healthiest people and the world's best health care system. In fact, if one looks across our great country, one will find that somewhere, someone has solved our apparently intractable problems, including undue waiting. HG Wells said that civilization is a race between education and disaster. Let's speed up Medicare's renewal by spreading these best practices rapidly and encouraging everyone to do even better. As Medicare's problems wane, so will the demand that we change its underlying values. It's not too late to save Medicare. It's not too early to pitch in to help. Remember Tommy Douglas's words—“Courage my friends. 'Tis not too late to make a better world.”
© Copyright 2002–2009 Michael Rachlis