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There is a strong undertow pulling the Democratic Party far to the left, from open borders, to eviscerating the Bill of Rights, and bans on late-term abortions.
Just look at Medicare for All, endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Andrew Yang, Bill De Blasio, Julián Castro, and, with some reservations, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg,
Public Option Too Extreme for President Obama
As recently as 2009, Mona Charen notes in NRO, the public option in health care was considered too extreme, which is why President Obama omitted it.
Corporate Villains Will Pay
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are in full outrage mode about corporate villains – foreign competition, immigrants, greedy corporations, millionaires, and billionaires – who “are sucking us dry.”
According to Warren, giant corporations and billionaires will foot the bill for MfA.
Meanwhile, Bernie points to Canada as the shining light of what Americans’ health care should be.
With that in mind, Ms. Charon discusses what Canada’s health care system does and doesn’t do:
- Canadian citizens and legal residents (though not illegal immigrants) get “free” health care, but only in the sense that you don’t get a bill after seeing a doctor or visiting a hospital.
- Medical care is subsidized by taxes, but the price comes in another form as well — rationing.
- Fraser Institute, a Canadian think tank, found that wait times between seeing a general practitioner and a specialist average 8 weeks. That’s the average. There are variations among specialties. Those waiting to see an orthopedist wait an average of 39 weeks, while those seeking an oncologist wait about 3.8 weeks.
How Long Do You Have To Wait
Canada has the same modern medical technology that the U.S. has, but here’s the rub – there’s await time:
- more than a month for a CT scan
- more than 10 weeks for an MRI
- almost a month for an ultrasound
Artificial Shortage = Black Market = Bribes
Mona Charen reports that she has heard from several Canadians “that paying doctors bribes to jump the line is not uncommon.”
Canadian Residents Have Another Choice
Thankfully, for the 90% of Canadians who live within 90 miles of the U.S. border, medical centers in Buffalo, Chicago, Rochester, and elsewhere receive tens of thousands of Canadian patients every year.
Americans Need to Know What They’re Giving Up
Advocates respond that Canadians are happy with their system, and that’s fine. It’s their choice. But Americans tend not to be so docile about delays. And in any case, the Democrats’ pretense that we can provide Medicare for All and receive the same level of care we’ve become accustomed to is applesauce. You want the Canadian system? Fine. Just know what you’re giving up.
Read more here.
Debbie Young
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