Our Canadian friends are concerned about their universal government monopoly health-care system. Most Canadians think reform is needed. However,
Attempts at reform have been routinely punished by anti-private care activists shouting warnings of “American-style, for-profit health care” and “there won’t be enough doctors and nurses for public health care if we allow privates” that have too often gone unchallenged.
General public opinion in Canada, according to Peter Menzies, is opposed to privatization because “we believe it would allow the rich to be better served.” Of course, the rich in Canada already get “better served” by going to the U.S. to get hip replacements.
Meanwhile in the UK, which launched its “free at the point of delivery” NHS right after World War II, experts agree that reform is needed. PM Sir Keir Starmer recently promised a 10-year reform plan, but “offered few details of the plan,” saying that the “previous Conservative government ‘broke the NHS’.” You’ll remember that the Brits celebrated the 70th anniversary of the NHS in the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony.
In the U.S., President Obama told us in 2009 -- as he was setting us up for Obamacare -- about a letter he got from a woman who wrote:
“I don’t want........