U.S. Expert Claims Socialized Medicine Risks Citizens' Health
by Mary Rettig
July 6, 2005
(AgapePress) - The director of Health Care Studies at the Pacific Research Institute says the U.S. should take note of what's happening with Canada's health-care system. According to PRI's John Graham, a recent decision by Canada's Supreme Court proves that country's socialized version of health care does not work.Graham observes that there is a push by some U.S. politicians and lobbyists to centralize health care in America. However, he believes instituting a national health-care system in this country would be a mistake.
The Health Care Studies director notes, "Some people -- for example, Senator Ted Kennedy and other politicians -- say, 'Well, in the United States we should have a health-care system that looks more like the Canadian health-care system, and have the government pay for everybody's health care, and it'll be cheaper.' And in a purely monetary sense, yes, it can be cheaper."
However, Graham contends, nationalized health care "causes a lot of suffering and pain because the government rations the health care the same way that in the Soviet Union they rationed bread." He urges Americans considering this alternative to remember how "you used to see people lined up around the corner getting bread from a bakery in Moscow."
Similarly, the PRI spokesman says, putting a national health-care system in the U.S. will result in rationed medical services and long waits for health care. He says a recent case in the Canadian courts provides a great lesson for Americans.
"Dr. Jacques Chaoulli is a Montreal physician who had a patient by the name of George Zeliotis," Graham explains, "and Mr. Zeliotis was waiting so long on a government waiting list to get the surgery he needed that Dr. Chaoulli and the patient decided this was a violation of [Mr. Zeliotis'] human rights."
And the Supreme Court of Canada agreed, the health-care expert points out. He says the Canadian high court found "that the fact that the government did not allow Mr. Zeliotis a choice to get out of the government system violated his human rights and threatened his health."
Under their national health-care program, Graham says Canadians must wait months and months to have needed medical procedures done. That is why, he contends, although the American health-care system is far from perfect, Americans must fight against those lawmakers who would try to socialize medicine in the United States.
Mary Rettig, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
