03 February 2010

Why is this Canadian premier coming to the US for surgery?

The Premier of Canada's Newfoundland province will travel to the U.S. for heart surgery.

This choice by Premier Danny Williams should raise serious questions in the minds of Americans who look to Canada as a model for socialized medicine in the U.S.  What's wrong with Canada's system of health care that scares the premier?

Not only does the premier's choice indicate a serious lack of confidence in the Canadian system, but it also points out the tendency of the rich and powerful to abandon the nationalized schemes of wealth redistribution they support when their own health and wealth is threatened. 

Of note here is the consistent refusal of Congressional Democrats to require Senators and Congressmen to use the public option they were trying to force on Americans.  Majorities in both houses of Congress voted against several GOP amendments requiring Congress to abandon its "Cadillac" health plan in favor of the much touted public-option.

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3 comments:

  1. I've long held that there should be constitutional amendment which requires those who make the laws to first experience a trial period under those laws, and then to continue to live under those laws with the rest of us. This applies doubly to health care.

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  2. Anonymous6:37 PM

    I don't think this is an indictment of Canadian healthcare. Rather it is a sensible use of money for a sparesly populated community choosing to use its money wisely by sending costly medical needs to an outside facility. As long as the premier is travelling outside his community why not choose a facility which provides the most bang for his buck.

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  3. Anon., but the argument for Canadian-style socialized medicine is that it is cheaper than the US. If the premier's health were the primary concern of his community and not the bottom-line of a rationing scheme, money wouldn't be such a concern.

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