Healthcare is Canada's biggest concern
- Thread starter #juan
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I'm not convinced- a lot of people are willing to spend more money on trips to Hawaii or Mexico or fancy vehicles than they are willing to spend on their health- their most precious asset. :smile:
Healthcare has been an issue of concern for the past 20 years and even beyond. The paradox is that Canadians seem more interested in protecting the status quo of the healthcare system instead of exploring real change. Everytime the issue is debated, someone on the left says "we don't want American style healthcare" and everyone backs away from the conversation. Its like there are no options beyond the Canadian and US systems as far as 90% of Canadians and 95% of Canadian politicians are concerned.
You've hit the nail exactly on the head Wulfie. It doesn't matter how you try it - one tier system does NOT work.:smile:
Healthcare has to be subsidized to some degree by the weathy or at least the wealthy and middle income. I think people make a problem out it where there needn't be one. Typically families earning $50,000 or $100000 a year are paying out $1500 annually for family health costs, but think nothing of spending that amount in restaurants and cocktails. All that needs to happen is for people to priortize their concerns.
There are certainly other options but I would be one of those who think our healthcare system is among the best , judging from the care I've had in my 71 years including heart surgery, and the care my kids received while they were growing up.
In previous discussions relating to this topic, people have brought up the systems in other countries and have shown Canada to be way down the list in terms of the quality of our healthcare. The supposedly best healthcare is obtained in countries you could drive around in a day or less.
I can see why people might be concerned though. A Harper majority would likely set our healthcare system back a long way.
I wasn't arguing that our system wasn't functional but the fact remains that is becoming unsustainable with our population. The more people age, the more demands they put on the healthcare system... and it is already eating up a huge portion of our provincial budgets.
Yes, there have been discussions on this forum where others have brought up other countries but the vast majority of the time, both here and in the country at large, there is a fixation on this issue being current Canadian vs current US systems. I think there are things we can learn about this from others but the first thing we need to do, as a nation, is admit our system isn't perfect and needs to be fixed.
Why would a Harper majority be any worse than a Chretien one was or an Ignatieff one might be? For the demonizations of Harper, one thing he has shown is that he is not stupid about doing the right things to retain power, and radically changing the health care system without the backing of the majority of Canadians would ensure that he never won another election.
Didn't think so.
Although I do agree that preventative steps need to be taken to improve the overall health of Canadians that has little to do with delivery of services. I firmly believe that to fix some of the real problems we have the private sector needs to be involved, it is done in France and they have one of, if not the best health care systems in the world.
Sad that once you say the words "private" and "healthcare" in the same breath you are deemed to be a lover of the failed American system.
Health care is the major issue I am sure. It will be for some time to come
as the old farts like me go through the system. There are also a growing
number of people with serious problems like COPD and most of that is
from environmental conditions deteriorating.
We must make changes, for example, preventative measures such as
exercise and taking better care of our own personal health.
There will always be issues with the health care system.
as the old farts like me go through the system. There are also a growing
number of people with serious problems like COPD and most of that is
from environmental conditions deteriorating.
We must make changes, for example, preventative measures such as
exercise and taking better care of our own personal health.
There will always be issues with the health care system.
Well said. It is certainly worthwhile looking at what other nations have done with their healthcare systems; especially nations that provide more comprehensive care at a lower per capita cost. As you say in Canada it seems that people see only two options, copying the failed US system or protecting the inefficient system Canada introduced in the 1960s. There must be some way the system can be improved other than turning everything over to for-profit companies.