Canadian Sham

by digby

So they did a poll of Canadians and guess what? They like their health care.

Now, there are some things that Americans like better about their health care than Canadians like about theirs. The Canadians complain a bit more that they have to wait longer to see a specialist. But overall their satisfaction is a lot higher. Here’s where the real differences show up:

Looked at another way, 65 percent of Canadians said they had access to all the health care services they needed at costs they could afford; 49 percent of Americans felt the same way.

That difference probably reflects the costs of health care: Patients pay nothing at doctors’ offices in Canada.

It also helps explain the fact that Americans see health care differently based on their incomes, while Canadians see it roughly the same regardless of what they earn.

Just 37 percent of Americans who make less than $50,000 a year say they have access to and can afford all the health care services they need, while 60 percent of those who make more say they can get all they need at costs they can afford.

The gap was much smaller in Canada, where 61 percent of those who earn less than $55,000 and 70 percent of those who make more than that said they had access to all the care they needed at costs they could afford.

Canadians just don’t understand that if you make less than $50,000 a year you are a loser who can’t expect to have access to luxuries like health care at the same rate as the winners. It would be unfair. That’s how we organize our society here — by how much money you make. Those with the money have a greater right to live. It’s just that simple.

I would be thrilled to have the Canadian system. Waiting for six weeks to see a specialist is certainly better than waiting until you wind up in the emergency room on the verge of death. But hey, that’s the excitement of playing America’s health care lottery game. If you make it to 65 when you can qualify for Medicare, you’re a winner at BeatTheGrimReaper and you can have health care just like the Canadians have! yea.

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