Health care system is effective

Recently, I was reading an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that looked at the costs of job based health care in the United States. I was shocked by the cost being $15,745. It struck me as being unbelievably high. The costs had risen by $2,400 in the past four years.
Another study that was published in 2011 indicates that a family of four in the United States would pay almost $20,000 annually.
The Fraser Institute reports that health care insurance costs the average Canadian family of 4 almost $11,000. This was reported last week.
As Canadians, many of us like to think that we have free health care. We may not be making direct payments to an insurance company or payments to a hospital or clinic, but we do pay for the services that we receive.
Our hospitals are publicly funded. Across the district we have raised funds for a CT scanner, mammography imaging, dialysis treatment and other services for Riverside Health Care.
Our provincial health care costs have grown by almost 25% in the last decade.
Based on income, a family with an annual income of $67,115 would pay $6,663 for health care. A family with an income of $241,549 would pay $32,116 for their public health care. These costs do not include prescriptions, eye care or many other medical services.
In the United States, most health plans carry a $1,000 deductable cost and many have lifetime maximums for health care.
In Ontario we have no deductable costs, and no maximums on coverage. Ontario health care costs consume 45.7% of the provincial budget
Canadians over the age of 65 make up14% of the population. They consume 44% of all health care costs. While the United States ranks first in per person expenditures for health care in the world, US ranks 38th in life expectancy. Canada ranks 10th in per person expenditure and ranks 13th in life expectancy.
Pharmaceutical medications are covered by public funds for the elderly and indigent or though employment based private insurance. The federal government negotiates drug prices with suppliers to control costs.
As Canadians, we take pride in our health care system. We really enjoy the freedom to go to clinics, pick our doctors and know that we will never face catastrophic medical costs. It is a source of pride. 70% of Canadians say our system is working either “very well” or “well”.
Our health care system may not be perfect. From time to time we may not be happy with the service we receive. Yet statistics prove that the Canadian system is effective.
We must always realize that we do not have a free system, and just because we don’t see a deduction on our paychecks, we are paying for it through employer payroll taxes and our personal income taxes.

–Jim Cumming,
Publisher