Medicare at crossroad

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Canada is at a crossroads today. The number of older Canadians is increasing dramatically as the baby boomers age. All across the country, waiting lists keep growing and many patients cannot find a family doctor. Governments have huge deficits and hard pressed for additional funds. Critics argue that urgent action is needed and that by encouraging people to pay will lessen wait times. However, in reality Canadians would be worse off if they had to pay for some of their medical care themselves. First, if patients have to pay for medical care, currently publicly funded, many families will avoid going to the doctor endangering their health. Researchers found that user charges implemented in Saskatchewan in 1968 and abolished seven years later reduced the annual use of Physician services by about six per cent (Beck, R.G. & Horne, J, 787). In 1996, Quebec implemented a scheme requiring patients to pay part of the cost of drugs. The Journal of American Medical Association conducted a study on this which revealed that patients reduced their use of less critical drugs and critical drugs and seriously affecting their health (421). This would deter or delay using the health system until their illness gets serious. User fees would deter the frugal, less advantaged and lower income from getting the help that they need. Do we as a society want parents to decide whether parents should take their kids to the doctor or buy groceries? Secondly, health insurance policies are inconsistent, expensive, cumbersome, hard to discern, full of fine print and contain many loopholes. Most Canadians face a huge tax burden, rising cost of living and will not be able to pay for these additional medical expenses out of the pocket. To offload risk, most indiv... ... middle of paper ... ...l increase as more professionals opt to work in the private health sector in order to earn more money. Lastly, survey after survey Canadians have supported their health care system in which access is based on need rather than wealth. Medicare is a Canadian success story, something that all of us are proud of, not perfect of course but something that binds a country of six time zones. Works Cited Beck, R.G. & Horne, J. "Utilization of Publicly Insured Health Services in Saskatchewan Before, During and After Co-payment", Medical Care, 18 (1980): 787-806. Simpson, Jeffry. Chronic Condition Why Canada’s health-care system needs to be dragged into the 21st century. Toronto: Penguin Group, 2012. Print Tamblyn, Robyn, et al. “Adverse Events Associated With Prescription Drug Cost-Sharing Among Poor and Elderly Persons.” JAMA 285.4 (2001): 421-429. Print

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