Canadians want better health care without more taxes: poll

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
I have absolutely no complaints about the health care I receive in Manitoba.

Might turn me into a New Democrat.

I quite honestly DON'T have a lot to complain about the treatment I get in B.C. People have to remember that doctors aren't magicians. Sure they can identify a problem and possibly prescribe a remedy or something to alleviate it, but 95% of our health problems are what we bring on ourselves, so if after the doctor prescribes you don't change your behaviour, the same problem is very likely going to recur. Health care for the wife and I costs somewhere under $100 a month. Cheap, cheap, cheap for maintaining the most important possession you have. :smile::smile:

I have absolutely no complaints about the health care I receive in Manitoba.

Might turn me into a New Democrat.

Yeah, and the moon might be made of green cheese. :lol::lol::lol:
 

YukonJack

Time Out
Dec 26, 2008
7,026
73
48
Winnipeg
A conservative walks into a bar, on crutches. Orders a drink. Then sees a person in the corner and says to the bartender: :"Is that Jesus there? Give Him a drink on me".

Later a liberal, in a wheel chair, comes into the same bar, spots the same person and instructs the bartender to give Him a free drink on him.

Then a NDP'er, in a walker, comes and does the same.

In a while Jesus gets up, walks over to the conservative, lays a hand upon him and says: "For your good deed you are cured" and the conservative guy walks away without crutches.

Jesus, then goes over to the liberal, lays a hand over him and cures him.

Jesus then walks over to the NDP'er and the NDP'er screams: "Don't touch me!!!!! I am on disability!!!!!"
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON

Bunch of idiots. If you want to promote a tax increase to improve Medicare, or otherwise accept the reduced availability of Medicare, fair enough: I can respect both positions. But if you think you can get better Medicare without a tax increase can I have some of whatever it is you're smoking sir.

And no JLM, I'm not referring to you but to the 61% of Canadians.

I'm certainly not prepared to pay more for something I rarely use. Not not mention the fact that in Ontario, we already pay a Health Care fee yearly, deducted straight off my pay check.

There are other solutions to the problems besides raising taxes. Allowing more private sector options is one idea, cutbacks in non-essential procedures too, or reallocation of tax revenue into health care.

I agree with you. I take care of my health and so would like to see more private involvement in the system. That said, if the left does manage to increase Medicare spending, then I'd hope the right, while continuing to fight to reduce Medicare spending, will be at least responsible enough to increase taxes until it manages to reduce Medicare spending. And I'd hope any tax increase be as user-pay as possible (e.g. tobacco and alcohol, junk food, etc.).
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
Bunch of idiots. If you want to promote a tax increase to improve Medicare, or otherwise accept the reduced availability of Medicare, fair enough: I can respect both positions. But if you think you can get better Medicare without a tax increase can I have some of whatever it is you're smoking sir.

And no JLM, I'm not referring to you but to the 61% of Canadians.



QUOTE]

Right on, Machjo. :smile:
 

The Old Medic

Council Member
May 16, 2010
1,330
2
38
The World
People will never give up believing in magic.

They actually believe that government can provide services more cheaply than private industry can, and that whatever the government provides should not have any impact on their finances.

TYhen there are the ones that want to target just what they see as the bad guys. Tax tobacco, alcohol, etc. more and more and more. What they don't realize is that over 80% of the cost of alcohol today is taxes, approximately 90% of the cost of tobacco products is taxes, etc. Every time the government does another significant increase in the taxes of those things, they drive more people into either not using them, or purchasing from illicit sources. The governments revenue actually declines in most cases.

As to "junk food". One persons "junk food" is anothers sustanence. What right do you, or the government, have in determining what a person can, or can not choose to eat? It is not governments role to do that.

Sorry, but if you are going to tax for medical care, then that tax should be evenly spread out upon all aspects of the society.

Canada has chosen to only allow the government to control all payment for medical services. That puts the government in total and complete control of medicine. Until the people demand that this be changed, you will see the inequities that currently exist in Canadian healthcare become more and more prevalent. As it stand right now, those in the cities get significantly better and more timely care than those that live in smaller towns or rural areas. This has gotten much worse over the years, and it is a trend that will not change.

Canada is losing medical professionals because they can do much better economically, and they can control their own practices, in other countries.

If Canada wants to change anything, they should look at the German system. There, everyone has health care, but they also have a free market.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
The Old MedicAs to "junk food". One persons "junk food" is anothers sustanence. What right do you said:
WRONG- If Gov't is to tax people to cover health care the taxes should be proportional to the products/activities that are causing the problems. People who eat right, exercise regularly, use tobacco and booze in moderation shouldn't be subsidizing those whose lifestyle contributes to diabetes, scherosis of the liver, heart disease and emphysema etc.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
Health care? Doesn't that require doctors?

Actually yes- as a last resort to try to patch you up after you've done the damage. There's the occasional case where special circumstance or genetics screws you up, but mostly the human animal brings a lot of it on himself. 300 lbs. on the scales and B.P. of 250/140 doesn't happen overnight. :smile:
 

Nuggler

kind and gentle
Feb 27, 2006
11,596
141
63
Backwater, Ontario.
I pay the annual Ontario non-tax tax for health care., and a monthly stipend for my health benefits which we carried into retirement, plus a differential in a drug plan (which has dropped quite a bit since I became an old fart.)

The article reads as if no one pays anything at present.

Also, don't forget you read it in the National Post.

:canada:
 

Nuggler

kind and gentle
Feb 27, 2006
11,596
141
63
Backwater, Ontario.
People will never give up believing in magic.

They actually believe that government can provide services more cheaply than private industry can, and that whatever the government provides should not have any impact on their finances.

TYhen there are the ones that want to target just what they see as the bad guys. Tax tobacco, alcohol, etc. more and more and more. What they don't realize is that over 80% of the cost of alcohol today is taxes, approximately 90% of the cost of tobacco products is taxes, etc. Every time the government does another significant increase in the taxes of those things, they drive more people into either not using them, or purchasing from illicit sources. The governments revenue actually declines in most cases.

As to "junk food". One persons "junk food" is anothers sustanence. What right do you, or the government, have in determining what a person can, or can not choose to eat? It is not governments role to do that.

Sorry, but if you are going to tax for medical care, then that tax should be evenly spread out upon all aspects of the society.

Canada has chosen to only allow the government to control all payment for medical services. That puts the government in total and complete control of medicine. Until the people demand that this be changed, you will see the inequities that currently exist in Canadian healthcare become more and more prevalent. As it stand right now, those in the cities get significantly better and more timely care than those that live in smaller towns or rural areas. This has gotten much worse over the years, and it is a trend that will not change.

Canada is losing medical professionals because they can do much better economically, and they can control their own practices, in other countries.

If Canada wants to change anything, they should look at the German system. There, everyone has health care, but they also have a free market.


Even better, we can emulate the USA. What they have really works for everyone.

not.
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
36,362
4,340
113
Vancouver Island
I have absolutely no complaints about the health care I receive in Manitoba.

Might turn me into a New Democrat.

Pigs might fly too.:lol:

I have lots of complaints about the way our health care is run but then I am also fairly closely connected to it.
I'll start with a few simple ones:
I require a medical every now and then for a variety of things, being mainly driving, blasting, firefighting and first aid attendant. These are not covered by our medical and although they all ask basically the same questions they cannot be combined because of different bureaucracies and have different prices.
My medical practitioner of choice is a naturopath. They cannot access the medical services money so I must pay out of pocket for that on top of the mandatory $108/mo. Then to add insult to injury the government adds on HST.
The system is set up to fleece users to provide jobs for bureaucrats. Years ago when I went for a vasectomy I naively thought that I could just make an appointment and get it done. Not so. First I HAD to see a GP for no apparent reason that I could see except he asked about 10 times if I needed any explanations. No. Then I had to see the snipper who asked all the same questions and went over the same material the GP did. Then I got to make an appointment for what I really wanted. Huge waste of my time and all our money.
I can think of more from my time on ambulance and first responder as well.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
Pigs might fly too.:lol:

My medical practitioner of choice is a naturopath. They cannot access the medical services money so I must pay out of pocket for that on top of the mandatory $108/mo. .

Naturopath!!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOOOoooh be careful. I had a cousin same age as me, who was mentally retarded due to lack of oxygen during the birth process. For years his parents brought him up to Kamloops or Vernon, (not sure which) to see a Naturopath and of course he scammed a small fortune out them for different remedies, but of course couldn't do a thing for brain cells that just weren't there. Personally I would only go to one recommended by 3 physicians. I'm not saying they are all bad but I think they are very limited in what they can sucessfully treat. Any other opinions or case histories on the matter?
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
36,362
4,340
113
Vancouver Island
My wife works for two good ones. And she is a ND from Germany from a school that was training naturopaths before Canada was even a country. Im most of Europe MDs and NDs work together and NDs have hospital privileges just like midwives. The main difference is that naturopaths seek out the cause of the problem while regular doctors just sell you a pill to mask the symptoms. Which brings up another pet peeve about our medical system in that the old boys club that runs the doctors union do not like foreign trained doctors and make it hard for them to legally practice medicine in Canada.

That was a scammer that your cousin went to. They show up in all occupations.
 

Tonington

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 27, 2006
15,441
150
63
Bunch of idiots. If you want to promote a tax increase to improve Medicare, or otherwise accept the reduced availability of Medicare, fair enough: I can respect both positions. But if you think you can get better Medicare without a tax increase can I have some of whatever it is you're smoking sir.

I have insurance through my employer. But it's against the law to use insurance for core services provided by Medicare. If I can use my insurance in a private clinic, then the waiting time in the public clinic is reduced, and without paying higher taxes. That is, Medicare is improved because I don't require Medicare, or rather I wouldn't if I worked for the same corporation, but in an area where no such law exists.

That is not idiotic.