We don't have a healthcare crisis, it's an implementation crisis, says André Picard
We don't have a healthcare crisis, it's an implementation crisis, says André Picard
There's no rhyme or reason to the way we publicly fund health services in Canada: six per cent of dental care, 40 per cent of home care in long term care, 50 of drugs, nothing for hearing aids or glasses or contraception. Where's the logic there? As a result, we have the least universal healthcare system in the world. Ponder that for a second. The least universal healthcare system in the world. Not something to be proud of. Medicare does cover everyone, but it covers everyone inadequately. Stated simply, what's wrong with Canadian health care today is that we're trying to deliver 21st-century care with a 1950s model of delivery and funding. We have an Edsel, but we need a Tesla. And my point here is that we need modernization.
Imo it all comes down to finding. Politicians don’t want to spend money today even if it will yield huge returns for society down the line. The healthcare sector is hugely prone to market failure and cannot be left to private industry.
and cannot be left to private industry.
Oh, absolutely. Which is why Ontario and Alberta are so hell-bent on doing exactly that.
Trust me, I know. As someone living in Alberta right now the future is scary.
Call it what you want, just fix it.
We have an inefficient system, but the real reason is that we haven't found a way to make dentistry/optometry/long term care public goods. They have lower barriers to entry than direct medical care in a hospital, so they're easy to privatize.