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"I'm not against doctors, nurses and other health care professionals making a decent living. They work very hard and perform a wonderful service. What I am against is the shareholders of insurance companies and HMOs making a profit off of people's fear of illness and death. I'm against people being bankrupted at the worst times in their lives so the chairman of the board can get a multi-million dollar bonus for doing nothing. I'm against people being denied care because it will adversely affect the bottom line."
That was one of many opinions that were sparked by the news today that a Calgary-based medical insurance company, Assured Diagnosis Inc., has announced the MyCare program, which will allow Canadians to seek treatment for ailments such as cancers and heart disease south of the border at the world-renown Mayo Clinic. As can be expected, feelings in the healthcare sector and amongst Canadians regarding the move have run along a wide spectrum, from support and encouragement all the way to abject scorn and derision.
Canadian citizens are privy to a universal healthcare system, with taxpayer dollars contributing towards a governmental mandate that ensures every Canadian is taken care of during a time of medical crisis. In the last decade, however, there has been a notable "brain drain" of Canadian med school graduates who have moved away to practice in countries where their levels of remuneration are not capped or limited by a system where the government foots the bill for everything, forcing a downwards drag on salaries. Now, it seems that we are going to further face a "patient drain", as options are now available for Canadians outside of our borders. Further, depending on one's financial situation, you may be able to go to the Mayo Clinic for treatment, while your friend or colleague sadly cannot. That's the very definition of an uneven playing field, and this is what has caused many to be up in arms about the issue. In reality, however, these out-of-country healthcare options have long been available to Canadians, especially for those with some money in the family coffers.
What are your thoughts? On the one hand, a system that is benevolent in its aims but is stressed to its very core by the sheer amount of demands on its resources will inevitably have to give way to being buttressed by a number of private pay options; on the other hand, forcing Canadians to stay strictly within the parameters of the existent healthcare system could theoretically force necessary innovation and evolution from within.
Its still taboo to even say these words, but is a tiered system really so reprehensible? Are we holding up an ideal that is really not sustainable in the long run?
Or can moments such as these simply be a series of aberrations and nadirs along the path to truly achieving a healthcare system that accomodates all, needs no support from outside forces, and rewards excellence and equality?
