Canada should adopt European-style health care model: CMA

[Praxius]

Canada should adopt European-style health care model: CMA

TORONTO - Canada could transform its bogged-down health care system and shrink lengthy wait lists by adopting Europe's successful blend of private medicine and universal access, the head of the country's largest doctors group said Monday.


Kicking off a major new campaign to promote a European-style medicare model, Dr. Robert Ouellet said experts he met recently in countries such as France and Denmark were shocked by how long Canadians queue up for some health services.

Such nations have all but eliminated wait lists, partly by having private-sector contractors compete against public clinics and hospitals for government health funds, said the president of the Canadian Medical Association.


Such competition encourages more efficient use of personnel and tax dollars, he said in an interview.


"In other countries, they clearly do not understand why this population, we Canadians accept (long wait lists). They don't get it," Ouellet said. "Some told us, 'There would be a revolution here if we had that kind of problem.' ... We really need to make a transformation."


He was to outline some of his ideas for overhauling the system in a speech today in Toronto, before embarking on a cross-country discussion of the issues.


Ouellet also resurrected the idea of slapping a tax on junk food to discourage unhealthy eating, and advocated letting Canadians deduct any out-of-pocket health care costs from their taxable income.


He was most enthusiastic, though, about his road trip through Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Denmark, and the role played by private medicine in those nations.


However, one critic said Monday the Montreal radiologist is "cherry picking" aspects of the Europeans' systems that suit his market-oriented philosophy and ignoring others, such as the fact many of those countries have higher taxes than Canada to fund health care, and more extensive social safety nets that contribute to better health.


"He wants a Swedish health care system on American tax rates," said Michael McBane, spokesman for the union-affiliated Canadian Health Coalition. "That's completely disingenuous. I would argue it's intellectually dishonest."


Ouellet himself is in a conflict of interest by promoting more private medicine, as he is the founder of Canada's first private CT scan clinic and owner of other private radiology facilities, McBane charged.


Meanwhile, Ouellet said the medical association itself has stymied some important reforms, such as restructuring how primary care is delivered by organizing family physicians into group practices with alternative forms of payment.


Ouellet said he wants Canadians to open their minds to different ways of looking at health care, arguing the current system is not sustainable otherwise. Western Europe is a good region to examine because - unlike the United States - its countries have universal medicare that ensures equal access to health care regardless of the patient's ability to pay.


Part of their success stems from how they finance public hospitals and clinics, which for the most part are paid for individual services they perform, rather than receiving blocks of funding as occurs in Canada. At the same time, many countries allow the private sector to compete for that funding, he said.


About 60 per cent of elective surgery in France, for instance, is carried out in private facilities, but paid for out of the public purse, Ouellet said.


Such competition would bring about the same kind of efficiencies and cost-savings to health care as came to long-distance telephone service when monopolies in that industry were ended, he said.


Ouellet is the second CMA president to strongly espouse a bigger role for the private sector in health care, following on the heels of Dr. Brian Day, a B.C. orthopedic surgeon who owns a private clinic.


Their ideas, though, are not taking hold with the public or the governments who deliver health care, McBane said.

Sound like a good idea or is it a Pipe Dream?

 

[tracy]

Pipe dream. Look at this quote from the article, which pretty much sums it up:


"He wants a Swedish health care system on American tax rates," said Michael McBane, spokesman for the union-affiliated Canadian Health Coalition. "That's completely disingenuous. I would argue it's intellectually dishonest."

Canadians simply expect too much without being willing to pay for it. Canadians spend less on healthcare than Americans (a LOT less), yet everyone gets healthcare. Of course there will be a wait for some procedures. That's the tradeoff. You want to get rid of waitlists, start giving the government even more of your money.

 

[Cliffy]

If we are going to have a real health care system we need to include alternative health care practitioners to participate. Allopathic medicine is not the only kind and by including Herbalist, Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Shiatsu, and others, we could alleviate waiting lists. At present we only have a Big Pharma sanctioned care system designed to maximize their profit margin.

 

[TenPenny]

Pipe dream. Look at this quote from the article, which pretty much sums it up:


"He wants a Swedish health care system on American tax rates," said Michael McBane, spokesman for the union-affiliated Canadian Health Coalition. "That's completely disingenuous. I would argue it's intellectually dishonest."

Canadians simply expect too much without being willing to pay for it. Canadians spend less on healthcare than Americans (a LOT less), yet everyone gets healthcare. Of course there will be a wait for some procedures. That's the tradeoff. You want to get rid of waitlists, start giving the government even more of your money.

I used to think that people would benefit from receiving an annual summary of the use they've made of the health care system, and the costs, but then again, it would make some people feel guilty and maybe not go when they should. Perhaps, though, if more people saw in dollars and cents what they've cost the system personally, there'd be less of this idea that 'it's all FREE!!!'...

 

[Cannuck]

Isn't this what "the right" is being criticized for....blending private with public?

As for acupuncturists, herbalists and the rest of the alternative health care crowd, they should have to prove their technology before any public money is given to them.

 

[L Gilbert]

I like the Swiss system best of all the ones I looked at. Health coverage is mandatory. If you can pay, you pay. If you can only pay part, the gov't chips in. If you can't afford it, the gov't carries you.
BTW, for those of you who scowl and say that a two-tier or multi-tier system sucks, we've had at least a two-tier system for decades. If you think you could get the same healthcare as some famous hockey player, MP, or movie star, you are deluded.
some color

 

[Trex]

First off, this is the first time on this forum I agree on with every single post above me.

Praxius, yes it's a really good idea and sooner or later we will have to do it.

Tracy is absolutely right; Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Belgium for example are far richer per capita then Canada. They have higher incomes, higher disposable earnings,higher standards of living, much higher income taxes and higher state spending than Canada. We cannot afford to try and copy those countries.

France is reckoned to have the best all round/bang for your buck system.
They really work hard on prevention. For example if you smoke you may not get a lung transplant. Your choice.
If you are hugely fat simply because you eat to much the French system works with you to help you loose weight. If you refuse you could be pushed to the back of the heart transplant list.
And so on.

The USA spends far, far more than Canada and unless you are rich/ have great insurance you could end up with fairly crappy health care. They need to move towards the Canadian system and Canada needs to move more towards the two tier Euro system.

However just like Cannuck stated the NDP and Liberals will howl to the moon about the destruction of our much loved health care system as soon as you try to create a two tier system.
And worried seniors and low income earners will refuse to vote for a government that suggests it.
It is, in effect, partial privatizing health care.
In the UK you can wait in line for a transplant/surgery or you can pay more and get it done right away privately.
Or you can get insurance and sort of fall half way between the two.

Its probably the way we need to go.
Slightly higher spending on health care to improve and maintain the basic system with a private or insurance option available.

Trex

 

[Scott Free]

Our political elite are committed to dismantling our health care system because the Americans perceive it as an unfair trade advantage.

Get rid of free trade and we can keep our health care, our jobs and way of life.