Border closures for Canadian Health Care

Next week, the US Senate will return to work in Washington. Several key committees will welcome the new leaders, including the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which will be led by Vermont Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Senator Sanders a promise to make “universal health care” the focus of his term at the helm of the Assistance Committee. He has long been a fan of Canada’s single-payer system, where the government has a monopoly on paying for necessary medical care.

But this system is collapsing. Canadian patients face standard waiting requests for both routine and emergency care. And they are paying a high price for this privilege.

Canada’s healthcare system, called Medicare, has been a source of pride and joy for the country. But as the program entered its seventh decade, public opinion began to shift. Just More than half of Canadians say they are satisfied with their health care system in 2022, down from about 70% in 2020.

It’s easy to see why. The waiting times are endless. In 2022, Canadian patients waited an average of 27.4 weeks between being referred by a general practitioner and receiving treatment from a specialist, according to the Fraser Institute, a Vancouver think tank. That’s nearly two weeks longer than the average waiting time in 2021 – and nearly three times the 9.3 weeks Canadians averaged in 1993.

Since private health insurance is not legal for care deemed medically necessary by the government, patients cannot pay a premium to escape the waiting list.

Doctors can not in this regard. They have one customer – the government. This customer is committed to maintaining costs. Canada spends 12.2% of GDP on health care; Health care makes up 18.3% of the US GDP, by comparison.

So Canadian doctors have to do more with less. This pushes many to the edge of the abyss. More than half of Canadian physicians reported burnout in 2021, up from just 30% in 2017, according to a recent Canadian Medical Association survey.

Another study found that more than 75% Canadian nurses ‘eligible to burnout in 2021’. And while doctors work an average of 52 hours a week, they spend only 36 hours treating patients, with allotted Total 16 hours For paperwork and other bureaucratic tasks.

Faced with these difficult circumstances, Canadian doctors are leaving work. Nearly 20% of family physicians in Toronto plan to close in the next five years, according to a study Published in the journal Canadian family physician. Many cite exhaustion as a reason for doing this.

Canadian Medical Association appreciates About 5 million Canadians Did not have a primary care provider in 2021. Children’s Hospital Ontario last year was Very short staff This winter the Canadian Red Cross needed to send reinforcement doctors.

To make matters worse, this shoddy “free” care costs Canadians a pretty penny. The typical family of four paid a whopping $15,847 in taxes just to cover the cost of public health insurance, according Research from the Fraser Institute.

The Canadian health tax burden has increased in recent years. A childless couple, who paid $8,225 in universal coverage taxes in 1997, pays about $15,229 today—an 85% increase.

Even these high taxes can’t keep Medicare running smoothly. provincial leaders Asks The Canadian government to cover 35% of healthcare costs, up from the 22% it currently covers. But 57% of Canadians say the current rate of spending is really unsustainable, and experts agree. As Stephen Staples, National Director of Policy and Advocacy for the Canadian Health Alliance, put itIncreasing funding for Medicare at this point is like “pouring hot water into a leaky bathtub.”

Instead of doubling down on failed and expensive social media, Canadian leaders need to consider lifting the ban on private health coverage and allowing market forces to fix some of the country’s broken healthcare system.

Single drive may be Bernie’s dream, but it’s quickly becoming every Canadian’s nightmare. Perhaps some of his colleagues on the Help Committee could invite some Canadians awaiting care to offer a first-hand perspective on the crisis plaguing their healthcare system.