I’m getting tired of pundits battering the Canadian health care system. Even Obama can’t get it right!
A bit over a week ago, Don & I listened to Obama at a Montana town hall meeting. One woman asked a question about Canadian health care, and its possible use as a template. Obama responded that the US had to find its own way (and I agree with that), but included two falsities. Who is giving him information?
Obama misstatement #1 – that doctors in Canada are employed by the government. False. Doctors are reimbursed by the government (provincially, I believe), but are not employees of the government. Like the US, they’re self employed, either alone or with a practice.
Obama misstatement #2 – that hospitals are owned by the government. False. Most hospitals are private, not-for-profit corporations. It’s true that the province helps allocate funds to run them, and there are checks and balances to make sure there is not an oversupply of beds, etc., but most are not governmentally owned.
I’m disappointed that he has such misinformation – I’m sure it’s not intentional. But I’m disgusted at the other side and the intentional lies being circulated – such as about death panels, etc.
Why can’t people in the US agree unanimously that health care is a fundamental right? Why can’t they acknowledge that they are the last industrialized nation on earth to fail to provide for universal coverage? Why can’t they see who is funding the opposition?
As I’ve said time and time again, no health care system – including Canada’s – is perfect. But one thing I never, ever hear from my friends here or in the rest of the world is “Gosh, I wish we had as good a health care system as they have in the US!” To be sure, there is a lot of US envy in the rest of the world – but not over its inability to provide affordable health care for all.
Please, President Obama, don’t give up.