Canada’s Decrepit, Expensive Single-Payer Health Care System: Steven Crowder Investigates, Guerrilla-Style (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on July 13, 2009
While Pres. Obama and Democrats in Congress are bully-pushing America to a nationalized health care system like Canada’s, Canada’s inefficient government-run health care system now is beginning to move to a system that permits private health care, much like ours still is. The government acknowledges that their system is a mess.
This information is not new. Socialized health care does not deliver what it promises. Government-run anything is often (I originally wrote “always,” but changed it because there could be an isolated exception) more expensive and bloated with layers of additional bureaucracy, compared to what the private sector in a free market can do.
Americans can’t afford nor want this or any other single-payer socialized health care system. Fix Medicare and Medicaid. Limit litigation with lawsuits (the elected officials in Washington, most of whom are lawyers, do not even want to consider this option to limiting awards, thus limiting income for attorneys). Analyze health insurance companies’ protocols and profits. Our current system needs fixing, not total dismantling, and it DEFINITELY does not need to be patterned after its woefully failed siblings in Canada, UK, Sweden, and other socialized countries.
Steven Crowder went to Canada and filmed this informative exposé video, guerrilla-style. Gruesome and appalling… this will be us if the government takes over here.
As Obama’s administration has already proved in a scant few months, they can’t satisfactorily monitor and distribute billions of dollars in the controversial stimulus/porkulus package. Obama admitted his televised infomercial in June that if a loved one of his was very sick, he would not likely rely on socialized health care if he were told that medical treatment was rationed or tests or treatment were unavailable through the government. Obama has orchestrated a health care system that he would not trust with his own loved ones. But he’s wealthy enough to be able to turn to better options… options other than socialized health care.
Why would any thinking person believe that government-run health care in the United States would be any better or more efficient than the tragedy of what millions of middle-class and poor Canadians suffer through?
Rich Canadians can afford private health care for themselves, as could rich Americans, to bypass the government-run system. But the whole selling point of the Obama administration for this ObamaCare, single-payer socialized health care system is that it will make health care better and affordable for everyone, especially lower-income families and illegal immigrants. Canada’s health care system shows the opposite is true.
Not only do average people pay much higher taxes on everything in Canada, but the medical care received is slipshod and the waits are horrifically long. Physician care, operations, and medicines are rationed. Many facilities require that a patient have a family doctor, but the waiting list to get your own family doctor takes two to three YEARS.
Additionally, in the current health care bill, there is a great deal of buried, non-health related pork and earmarks, sneaked in the Democrat authors. What’s not to hate?
Additional reading:
Joseph C. Phillips, Big Hollywood: U.S.A. vs. Canada: The Healthcare Debate
Steven Crowder, Big Hollywood: Must-See Undercover Exposé of Socialized Healthcare!
Hot Air Green Room: Debunking Some Healthcare Propaganda and Rocks, Hard Places & Obamacare
Center for Health Transformation: Healthcare That Works: Answering President Obama’s Challenge of Finding What Works (pdf)
Politico: RNC website takes aim at Democrat health care plan
Frank DeMartini, Big Hollywood: Obama’s Next Folly – Health Care
Michelle Malkin: Hey, go flag yourself! and Death panels? What death panels? Oh, those death panels and Shhhhhhh! and Waiting for the health care takeover bill to drop; It’s here: Soak the rich and Welcome to Obamacare Theater and A test for Denver International Airport and Obamacare ground troops at the airport and The drug companies sell out and The Obamacare horror story you won’t hear and Caught on tape: SEIU thuggery and Obamacare bogus statistic of the day and Obamacare bogus statistic of the day, Pt. 2 and Undercover at an Obama health care meet-up and Mobilizing against Obamacare
The American Spectator: Gotta’ Love Those Dems on Health Care and House Dems’ Health Care Plan Includes Gov’t Plan
Steven Crowder, Big Hollywood: Lonewolf Diaries: The Truth About Dumb, Liberal Canadians and Their Lies
James Hudnall, Big Hollywood: Health Care ‘Change’ You Shouldn’t Believe In
Goodtimepolitics: The White House Admits Americans Will Be Forced Out of Their Current Health Care Plans
Matt Towery, Townhall.com: Americans Are Against the Health Care Proposal
Big Hollywood: Steven Crowder Talks Socialized Obamacare With Neil Cavuto
Founding Bloggers: Horrific Health Care Headlines From UK – Our Socialized Medical Future!
Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: Obama-Care Can Kill You
Fastidious: What I’m Watching: The Guy With the Broken Clavicle Was Waiting For Five Hours
Jewish World Review: Far East illustrates the limitations and dangers of universal health care
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Ronald Reagan’s Clarity… “The Gipper” Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine and Bad News: Sen. Feingold Admits What We’ve Suspected All Along: Obama’s “Public” Health Care Plan Meant to Ultimately Push Americans to Single-Payer Health Care and A “Must Read” » American Thinker: “Back to ACORN General Hospital” | Obama’s Single-Payer Health Care Nightmare and Nightmare: Heritage Foundation Exposes Universal Health Care Myths & Destruction of Free Market and a href=”http://www.frugal-cafe.com/public_html/frugal-blog/frugal-cafe-blogzone/2009/05/08/the-sham-of-socialism-save-america-while-theres-still-time/”>The Sham of Socialism: Save America While There’s Still Time… ‘1984′ Prophesy and Video: Steven Crowder: ‘Socialized Health Care Sucks’ and Heritage Foundation: Myth Exposed – American Health Care System Not Perfect, but Superior to Socialized Health Care and Cautionary Tale: ‘Prime Minister, You Have Run Out of Our Money’
Radio Vice Online: Canada health care documentary… better than Michael Moore’s and Obamacare…the dark side
Infidels Paradise: Obama/Dems Cutting Tens Of Billions In Medicare After Saying It Was A Sin To Do So
Patterico’s Pontifications: Dialing 911 for Obamacare
Betsy’s Page: How “best health practices” works in Britain
The B.S. Report: Easy As ABC…President Obama’s Official “State-Run” Media
The TIW Blog: Counterprotests not enough to end tyranny
Hot Air: Video: The best part of ObamaCare? Lines! and Statist health care, by the numbers and Will ObamaCare threaten medical innovation? and Obama: Let’s work together to destroy American health care by year’s end and Video: Are the elderly cost effective? and Oh my: Health care, amnesty, climate change bills all suddenly in trouble and Dems retreating on healthcare and Video: ObamaCare an “Old Joke”; Update: Cost now $1.6 trillion
Inoperable Terran: House health-care bill adds $600 billion in new taxes and Oh my: Health care, amnesty, climate change bills all suddenly in trouble
Founding Bloggers: Horrific Health Care Headlines From UK – Our Socialized Medical Future!
JustOneMinute: If The Rain And Clouds Aren’t Depressing You…
John Goodman, Cato’s Letter (pdf): Five Myths of Socialized Medicine
American Thinker: Back to ACORN General Hospital
About the author
As a Canadian currently living in the US, I watched this video with interest. I saw nothing that resembles my own many experiences with healthcare in Canada. As with the United States, the level of service one gets can depend greatly on where you live. For me, I’ve consistently had longer ER wait times in the US than I ever had in Canada (my son has asthma and I’ve visited emergency rooms on a number of occasions back in Canada). Just a few weeks ago, my wife and daughter waited 7 hours in our local ER in Burlington where she went because of chest pains and trouble breathing. All in all, though, I have to say that we’ve had fine service in both countries. The big difference, though, is that my employer and I pay thousands of dollars per year for our coverage in the US.
Steven Crowder, who if I recall correctly is a dual citizen, visits Montreal, Canada’s second biggest city and the place in Canada that is having the worst time of things by far. When I lived in Edmonton, I could usually see my GP on the same day that I called if it were urgent. After-hours, there were a number of 24-hour clinics where the wait would be longer but I’d always be able to see someone. For urgent cases, we’d go to the ER and the wait was always understandable; the more severe cases always go first, as they should. Crowder goes on and on in this video about how in Canada they have to ration care because of the system. I’m sure my colleague down the hall, who is fighting with her insurance company here to get approval for some desperately needed spinal surgery, would be happy to talk about her experiences of care being rationed in the US.
The major problem in Canada has, to my mind, very little to do with universal healthcare itself; there can always be greater efficiency in any system, but the system in Canada at the moment is underfunded, particularly in Quebec. Canada puts 30-40% less into healthcare than the US does and yet Canadians’ life expectancy is longer, patient satisfaction levels are similar if not higher in Canada, and no one ever goes bankrupt over medical bills. The question of higher tax rates there is all relative. In Quebec, Crowder is right that with sales tax people do wind up paying the 8% provincial sales tax on the 5% federal sales tax, but there are other provinces that have solved this by “harmonizing” their sales taxes so that they are charged only one tax rather than two separate ones. In Alberta, there is no provincial sales tax at all and there never will be.
While everyone wishes our taxes would be lower, 85% of Canadians recently surveyed said that they wouldn’t dream of trading their healthcare system for that of the United States. Universal healhcare works. It’s more effective than what we find in the US in terms of its ability to treat everyone equally. It’s also, contrary to popular belief here in the US, far less bureaucratic than the US system. Just stop by a Canadian hospital or doctor’s office and look for the billing office. You won’t find one.
To see the problems Crowder found in Montreal as representative of all of Canada is as foolish as walking into one of the poorest areas in a major US city and describing the whole country as being rife with poverty and crime. The Canadian system needs to be improved and better funded, without a doubt, but overall it’s still very good and works well for most Canadians. It costs much less and, on the whole produces, better results than what Americans deal with on a daily basis.
Trul fantastic!!!
When I was in Florida, healthcare cost me and my employer well over
a thousand a month. When I got unemployed, I simply got NONE!!! NONE!!!
In Canada, my total cost is $800 a year, period!!!(I just paid the bill)
You are being destroyed by a bunch of subversives
and all you can obsess on in health care!!!
Wake up, guys, the wolves are way past the city gates,
THEY HAVE OVERTAKEN CITY HALL!!!
If the Canadian health care system is so wonderful, why are thousands of Canadians streaming over the border to receive top-quality health care in the United States? There are many medical centers located in towns near the border that have expanded their facilities and hired additional staff just to accomodate the influx of Canadian patients.
Sorry Linda, its a common myth that Canadians by the droves go across the border for care in the States. Although there are some that have come across to jump the line, the facts don’t back it up. Thousands upon thousands is a propagands number the far right like to through out without backing it up with proof.
Canadians are often waiting weeks, WEEKS and MONTHS to see an oncologist. This is even before they have a treatment plan for the cancer treatment. I’m Canadian, and the truth is that Crowder’s video is well done, and correct. People are suffering and dying thanks to uncompassionate waiting lists. The system in Canada needs to change, the sad irony is that too many Canadians are brainwashed from the cradle. They actually believe the system will be there for them in their time of need, sadly, many Canadians also lie through their teeth to “protect” the system.
The Canadian system is best for very, very minor things like stitches, but not for chronic or life threatening illness.
Thanks for your input, Jill. I’ve been surprised by the Canadians who have embraced and supported their government-run health care in the comments here.
Crowder is no slouch when it comes to research, although his roots are in political commentary and comedy. So he may exaggerate a bit in this video to get a comedic effect. I don’t believe he would compromise accuracy and facts, though.
Your affirmations and comment are appreciated. I hope you pop back often, Jill. We can use your first-hand experience and insight as a Canadian citizen on this loathsome American health care issue.
I hate to contradict you Jill, but I am well into my 70s and the system here in Canada has always been here for me. Yes, there are some problems due to under-capacity and the fact that each and every Canadian is covered by our system. But by and large, we do extremely well.
I have had a bypass (yes, I had to wait for three months, but I didn’t mind seeing more acute cases go to the front of the line), I have suffered from heart failure, and also on one occasion from an intestinal blockage. In this last case, I was in a hospital bed within 15 minutes of showing up in the ER, had a catscan within hours and a specialist looking after me.
Currently I can see my family doctor normally the same or next day in case of something really bothering me; I have regular appointments with four specialists.
Yes, some of us have cause for complaint, and some of us think that the role of private health care should be expanded. Others of us just look in awe and wonder at so much of the uninformed comment coming out of this debate in the States.
No I’m not brainwashed, having spent 20 years of my working life living in other countries, including the States. And yes, I am satisfied with our system—which has its warts like every other one, including the American.
I am an American and I have excellent health care insurance provided by my employer. I have always had health care provided by all the employers I have worked for. In America you can not attract and hire the best without providing it. I travel extensively and have discussed health care with many upscale Canadians and the story is almost always the same — they have private insurance and they don’t use the “system”. Long waiting times, government bureaucracts making their health decision, etc. etc. Perhaps I could say this better but there are many, many differences between the make-up of America and Canada. Our high percent of perpetual welfare class and illegials is makes things much different here. This burden will be financially astromical to the American tax payer when all their health care is “free”. Second, if employers are given the choice of continuing to provide or just “OP out” and pay a fee, many will choose the fee percent route, if it is cheaper and less work for their HR departments. Especially if it is a fixed percent for all states, then in high cost states like CA and NY employers will get a deal by Oping out. The middle class loses again. Americans don’t think like people in those socialist countries.. We are too entrepreneural and value our personal freedom too much. The Obomanation has the power of the almighty himself right now via his control of the media so it will pass but it is a square peg in a round hole for America. Oboma is about distroying hope for a better life for the achievers to give to the non-achievers. Once 51% of the voters figure out they they can vote themselves a check from the govenment then democracy and free entriprise is on its death bed.
Excellent commentary and points made, Lee. Few have said it better.
Thank you for sharing this information with readers. Let us hope that sanity and logic prevail. It ain’t over until all the votes are in… we must continue to educate others and protest this monstrosity.
Thanks for your valuable input. Hope to hear again from you soon!