U.S. Health Care vs Canadian Heath Care

Health Care has been on everyone’s mind lately due to the Obamacare legislation that is being considered now. I know that I spent the last WCRW meeting discussing health care with SD 56 candidates Andrea Keiffer and Ted Lillie, as well as other WCRW members. So, when I stumbled upon this video on YouTube I thought I would share it with everyone.

Many advocates of health-care reform are admirers of Canada’s state-run, no-opt-out, single-payer system. President Barack Obama  has voiced enthusiasm for such a health-care program.

Those who admire the Canadian-style health care should view the interview of Cheryl Baxter on Reason TV. Cheryl Baxter is a Canadian citizen who waited years for hip-replacement surgery, only to be told that her operation would not happen any time soon. Instead of waiting, Baxter did what an increasing number of Canadians are doing: She flew to a clinic in the United States, paid out of pocket, and had a life-altering surgery in a matter of weeks rather than years.

Cheryl Baxter’s experience doesn’t just throw damning light on Canadian health care. The sort of clinic she went to in Oklahoma suggests a different way of delivering health care in the United States, too: A simple fee-for-service model in which providers openly advertise their prices, service, and reputation. Rather than a frustrating, complicated mess of intermediaries such as employers and insurance companies, U.S. health-care reformers should think about bringing capitalism and a free market to medicine.

See Reason.TV interview Cheryl Baxter:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRPhltjPSFs&hl=en_US&fs=1&]