<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I am responding to the whole list, as I know that a health care system
similar to Canada's has been discussed in the U.S. and I think that would be
a horrible mistake. At least you can get decent health care in the U.S. by
paying. Here in Canada, it is highly political, and outrageously corrupt.


Elise Gorseth wrote:
>There are problems with the system,
>and there have been cutbacks in many areas recently, but comparing our
>complaints to those I have read/heard about in the US, the Canadian system
>works very well.

That might depend on where, in Canada, you come from, but I sure don't agree
that we have a superior system. Would you mind explaining why we lose a lot
of our specialists to the U.S.?

> I have never had a doctor refuse to do a test for
>financial reasons,

I certainly have. There is lots of that going on here. I will be happy to
provide names of doctors and specific instances. One of the big ones here is
finding a doctor who will get bone density testing for a newly diagnosed
celiac.

> and as far as I know there is no "punishment" for a
>doctor who does a lot of tests.

I don't know if there are penalties, but I can sure tell you that there is
lots of resistance to doing testing, on the premise of cost, and I can't
imagine that happening if there weren't some sanctions somewhere.

> I have had doctors tell me that they must
>"justify" certain tests, and I know for certain that they can't do biopsies
>looking for celiac disease without a pretty good reason.

Now that sounds more like the Canadian system.

> There are no
>insurance companies involved, although recently there has been talk of
>getting them involved to remove some of the financial burden from the tax
>system.

Governments aren't usually very good at running business. That is not a
novel concept.

>I know that there is a philosophical aversion in the US to the Canadian
>socialized approach to health care, but I think it is a great system. I am
>in the process of trying to find a GP in the Boston area, and my PPO
>"preferred" list has only one physician in my town signed up! If I go
>outside of my PPO, then I have to pay 20% of my health care costs. In
>Canada I could go to any doctor I chose and never had a single
>out-of-pocket expense (except during the time I was living in Quebec, but
>that is another story).

Well, you might try coming out to Alberta. You will find that health care
isn't quite that simple.

>I wish I could say that I had more experience with the US managed care
>system so that I could better compare it to the Canadian system. Perhaps it
>isn't managed care itself that is at fault, but rather the type of managed
>care system that is causing so many problems?

Or perhaps your experience with the system you are currently advocating is
somewhat limited.

>I would appreciate hearing any thoughts that other list members have to
>offer on this subject, I think it is an important one.

I ask you to stop and think about this. The Federal government has fined the
Alberta Provincial government huge sums (tens of millions) for failure to
comply with federal legislation on health care. And the political fall-out
has been lots of rhetoric. The implementation of health care policy in
Alberta has not changed, but the feds. have stopped clamouring. What do you
suspect?

Let me ask you folks in the U.S. one question before I close: Do you want
your health care managed by politicians?

Best Wishes,
Ron