Healthcare Myth - Who is better?

Healthcare has always been a "sacred cow" in Canada during past elections - and usually it comes down to assertion that "we have the best in the world" while pointing to massive infrastructure investments like the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute which is being completed at the University of Alberta here in Edmonton.

Liberals and NDP politicians usually take a "Don't Touch" attitude to any debate about Healthcare that quickly polarizes into support for a Public or Private delivery system. Such an attitude truly does not reflect what has been happening in the healthcare system for decades. It is not monolthic and it has been evolving and adapting - and very well - to a "mixed" environment for years.

The (infamous) Shouldice Clinic, Catholic Orders, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Testing Labs etc. - all of them are mixed public/private healthcare operations which have been accommodating, sharing and thriving in the existing Healthcare system. Such public/private partnerships have not weakened the provisions of Universal Healthcare under the Federal Canada Health Act as many insist.

Yet this much should be very clear, the Federal Conservative party has no intention of revoking Universal Heathcare. However any party in power that is honest must admit that fiscal responsibility demands the current model needs study (without revoking the laws of gravity). Given the massive financial resources needed, we have to get past solutions constrained by ideology.

Even in the US election, Barak OBAMA has indicated he favours "importing" some aspects of the "Canadian Universal Healthcare Model" into the US in order to serve those 47 millions Americans who cannot afford private coverage.

Yet is the Canadian Model "better"?

• The 47 million figure in the US maybe misleading. For many of these uninsured it is a temporary condition due to unemployment, retirement, disability or critical illness - and the true figure is likely half that representing 7.9% of the population.

• StatsCan estimated that 1.7 million Canadians or 6% of the population - could not find a Family Physician an in 2007. Without a family physician they cannot access primary care or elective surgery referrals. Is this not the same thing as not having Healthcare insurance?

The Fraser Institute has working on comparing benchmarks of performance in Canada with the US - and here are some of their conclusions. One cold hard fact of Canadian superiority usually is that Americans spend 55% more per capita on Healthcare - yet consider:

• Americans have 327% more MRI units and 183% more CT Scanners per capita.
• Americans receive 100% more inpatient surgical procedures per capita.
• American wait-times are lower across the board for most common hospital procedures.
• American has more doctors and nurses per capita.
• American hospital facilities are newer and more modern.
• Americans have greater access to more ground-breaking drugs (even experimental) and procredures.
  

Conclusions:

1. Just like zero% unemployment is unrealistic in a large, dynamic economy, there may always be a certain percentage of the population who can not reasonablly access Healthcare for good (and unsinister) reasons. So while 100% coverage makes good politics, it may not actually be a realistic benchmark. Perhaps 95% would be better.
   
2. Americans pay more per capita but receive greater "value" - as defined by faster testing, better procedures and more effective pharmacololgy. Given the similarity of practice models and mobility between our two countries, the amount they pay may not be too different to what the similar services would cost Canadians.

This debate is not over.