Opinion: To fix Canada’s health care crisis, we need free-market competition, private options

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To fix Canada’s health care crisis, we need free-market competition, private options

Consider the debacle around Phoenix, the federal government’s disastrous payroll processing software. Launched in 2016, its development and problems cost several billion dollars, yet its errors have affected 500,000 federal public service workers over the past few years. It’s so bad, and so riddled with errors, that the federal government is now replacing it with a new system – at yet another enormous cost.

Consider, too, that the cost of public health insurance for the average Canadian family , adjusted for inflation, has increased more than 80 per cent since 1997 and by almost 108 per cent for a single Canadian. We spend about 12 per cent of our GDP on health care, more than 27 other comparable countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Some might say we just have to fund this system properly, hence the new health care accord between the federal government and the provinces. But let’s recognize that for what it is: a stopgap solution. How many times have we already seen the federal government provide a new deal to the provinces? As we run out of money, ideological dogma has given us one of the developed world’s worst-performing health care sectors. Often, we consider the United States as our only alternative. No one is suggesting we adopt what the Americans have. But in Canada, we don’t have a health care system; we have a queue system. And if Canadians want world-class care, we need to embrace world-class thinking.

 

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globeandmail No we don’t. We just need to get rid of greedy politicians and health care administrators. Quit nickel and dimeing the health care system and dvelevolpe average rates for whole procedures. Then, have each university in Canada offer a full scholarship to 20 students to train to be…

Hey yall The author is ShaunCFrancis And yes, he is a capitalist, and yes, he is attached to the Fraser Institute, and yes, part of his brain was surgically replaced with a sun-bleached dog turd (allegedly)

globeandmail No we don’t, this picture does not depict my experience in our hospital

No

What a stupid, dishonest and malicious pseudo-argument, made by a U.S. healthcare-industry propagandist who would profit hugely by 'privatizing' Canada's Medicare system. Its claims are a combination of outright lies and self-serving half-truths. Just say, 'NO'. NO!

'Oligarch-Owned For-Profit Media Company Supports Oligarch-Owned For-Profit Healthcare.'

Because it worked so brilliantly in the United States?

globeandmail How about we fund it instead of America's latest arms sales party.

This opinion sucks and you should feel bad.

Good lord, no. It's exactly the opposite. Systems efficiencies are needed, and doctors / admin should be treated as public servants, rather than private contractors.

No we don't, we need governments to properly fund the system and find an appropriate wage cap and number cup for hospital administration. That's it.

This is the worst, most ill-informed take I've seen in days, and that's saying something. How the hell is paying out of pocket or shelling out thousands for health insurance going to make anything better? Just look at the States. Canada does NOT want to go in that direction.

Your opinion skews towards Ford. Stuff that idea where the sun don't shine. How about investing $$$ into public health care? That system worked well till Ford stuck his finger in it. Taking care of the health of everyone no cost is the Canadian way. Do that & do it well instead

'Capitalist-owned propaganda media' - if Twitter wanted to really tell the truth.

It's sucks that they will win this war and more and more Canadians are duped into believing privatizing will work here for some reason.

The answer is increased investment in non-clinic supports to all clinicians to focus on health services not administration. It’s also time to re-evaluate proper incentives/compensation mechanisms. Lastly, any comparison to European/Asian systems needs to be adjusted for wages.

Certainly doesn't work in the USA so won't fix 🇨🇦 healthcare crisis. It will make things worse & push Canadians into medical debt. The only ones to benefit are the profiteers pushing the scam.

'Shaun Francis is the Chair and CEO of Medcan' Man poised to make millions from from decision, strongly believes its the right one for all.

How's that working out for Americans?

Colombia 👂🏻👂🏻👂🏻👂🏻

If private care is privately funded and operated, and operates entirely outside of our established health care system, with no encroaching into said system… basically entirely its own eco system, then yeah I think it would be great. Unfortunately, that’s just not very likely.

Yep. Give people who can pay the option to go private and free up room for those who can not.

globeandmail globeandfail jumping the Shark again

No, we need a properly funded health care system where private market middle men aren’t ripping us off. You absolute ghouls.

First give the competition bureau enough teeth to regulate “free-market competition” in the telecom, grocery, dairy etc. cartels in Canada.

If our healthcare system is really working, people will be healthier and healthier, the market for painkillers will shrink smaller and smaller, there will be less and less illness, and fewer and fewer people need the hospitals and clinics.

globeandmail Health care can’t be solved by a free market. Choice is a requirement in a free market. Life or death is not a choice. Manage the public system better.

Health care can’t be free-market. Choice is a requirement in a free market. Life or death is not a choice.

If the government fully covers the private care cost, then go fo it.

56 million Americans have filed for medical bankruptcy. 17% of the population. Our system isn’t perfect and needs tweaks. We don’t need this. Furthermore, nobody has said what the offsetting reduction in taxation will be, to account for the reduction in universal care.

Nope.

Opinions like this will lead canada to hell. Accessible healthcare for all, please! not just those who can afford it

globeandmail Sorry, you forget we live right next to the US and can see what ‘free-market competition’ does to the cost of healthcare. Healthcare and K-12 education should never be subject to the free-market economy where profits are more important than the delivery of service.

globeandmail Healthcare for the rich only and the rest of us just pay their tab.

The Supreme Court shut the door on this option, outside Quebec.

30% of health care in Canada is private care

No the fuck we don't

globeandmail we need to pay them more and if we are serious about it fund it but we cannot anymore so this might be the option but that is a political choice and should be voted on we have seen what the feds are willing to pay so it should be an election issue fund it properly

We need governments that care more about citizens and less about making the rich richer.

No. GFY.

Let Elon Musk run it.

To fix Canada's everything crisis throw yourself into the sun

Fix it, as in fixed like cell phone rates and energy . . . rigged! We must expand Universal Health Care and drive the alleged Private Sector right out of ALL Health Care, especially drugs, vaccines, and Mental Health. All of them!

🤡

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“Just let capitalism solve it!” is not the answer here.

globeandmail Holy fuck no!

Just look at Germany and follow their less expensive yet more successful policies. There will be a lot of unemployed useless bureaucrats if we do 🤣

Oh, horse poop! We can fix our health care system by investing the billions Trudeau has GIVEN AWAY to a useless fake war in the Ukraine! Properly supported, public health care is fine. Want more health care professionals, select Canadas best and brightest and pay their way…

Still trying to wrap my head around how brazenly incompetent you have to be to write this.

Hell no! UniversalHealthCoverage PublicHealth NeverVoteConservative TommyDouglasisturninginhisgrave HealthForAll

No

you are sooooo American controlled. US model below. Get everybody paying fair share in taxes, viola, money is available to pay for our system. Typical capitalist move. Starve money from health care then cry we need private models. Bull shit.

No the fuck we do not

globeandmail With 500K new CDNs each year due to Lib immigration policy - this health care (& housing, & environment) crisis will NEVER END. Which profits a select few (elite) & the rest of us pay for it with lower quality of life. More people = more strain on services & more pollution.

or we just need the government to stop fucking with it.

UK, Finland and I suspect every other developed country that has a public health system also permits a parallel private system. Canada is the outlier. So let’s wake up and stop pretending private will hurt the public system. It will help the public system and all Canadians.

Yeah, sure...we had a good look at how the senior/retirement homes were run during the pandemic. It exposed all kinds of creed and failure. NO THANKS!

Really, health care depends on balancing the book and share holder's bottomline? Have we not seen our neighbour to the south debating this for half a century? Health care is a right, not a business.

You surely do not.

No.

I agree. We want a private option. This is a public monopoly and nothing good has come out of any monopolies.

health care is not a fucking commodity. stop this nonsense.

Crabby right wing propagandist. They are a MAGA funded group who also have Pee Pee as a puppet. Don’t believe anything from them.

100% accurate.

Yes because it works in the US so well

Would love to know where the nursing staff is coming from

No, we need less bureaucracy, administration and paper in health care and more nurses directing the operations.

I think this opinion should have been kept to yourself.

No, not at all

best time to delete was before you posted, next best time is now

having worked in corp funding & governance in multi B$ companies, this would be a disaster. Big companies track tiny $ well, but blow 100's of M's and hide it, as it would impact every exec that signed off. this is routine.

Nope. An ER visit can be thousands of dollars in the US. Canada is naive. We privatize, we end up with million dollar heart attacks.

We would be better served by educating the many people who think healthcare is free.

No thanks. Feel free to figure out the veterinary situation, though, as that free market is presently a mess - expensive as hell and very hard to get.

BULLSHIT!

Why don't you merge with the National Post and call it a day.

shut up ugly

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