A bit off-topic, but imo, pay-per-use at a fractional rate is a good start. Charge 30$ bucks per Dr visit and the abusers and hypochondriacs think twice. Tons of immigrants burn the hell out of the system because it's "free". Western Europeans attitudes towards social safety nets is one of conservation and necessity. Outside of that, it's generally heavily abused. Then, legalize private healthcare to run alongside public healthcare. A two-tier system. This provides an option for the rich who doublepay regardless and otherwise end up in America or Europe for private treatment. Legalize private clinics for whatever, and this takes a good burden off the system while keeping those medical dollars in Canada.
from own personal and my family members experiences, i'm really grateful for the health care in Canada and Europe. you sh try being ill in Singapore, Hong Kong or China then u won't be making such statements, u will get a heart attack when u see the bill
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad there's another Canadian patriot on the boards! We've got a Great Country. That's why I'm so irate. You said it! We're all about to get flushed ! We could have built something great. Instead, we opted for a socialist paradise, exported jobs, and lashed ourselves to the back of the Titanics of the world. Where do I put my money? Short-term, when i'm not day-trading - US and Canadian sovereign debt. Long-term? Gold, silver, Chinese Yuan, real estate (even though it's over-priced). Really long-term, I'm considering Chinese real estate after the bubble pops. For the next few years, I think we'll do a few risk-on/risk-off cycles as the sovereign debt crisis plays out. That means switch between commodity/equities then > long bonds for a "swing" investment approach. When everything goes to hell, gold, unless Bernacke opts for a 1929 redo.
Free healthcare isn't free. Or cheap. As more immigrants plow through our borders and the population rapidly ages, healthcare costs skyrocket. It's fiscally impossibly to provide even the current quality of care to an aging population + the legions who abuse it. A modest pay-per-use is no big deal. Neither is a two-tier system. And a big component of US private costs stems from uncapped malpractice liability. It's possible to get cheaper healthcare. Graduate more doctors, cap liability payouts on wrongful death/malpractice, introduce competition with hospital/clinic privatization but maintain Government paid-for health-card. So the end user chooses the provider. This makes doctors/hospitals compete for business. Always a good thing.
I disagree. The future has never been brighter for Canada, both economically and politically. Having the Conservatives in power for so long now has turned back the socialism trend. The fact that they currently enjoy a large lead in the polls suggests that the country is moving even further away from socialism than ever before. Job creation is also on the uptick. The trend is toward more jobs, not less. This will only improve as the new trade deal with the EU is complete.
Immigrants don't cause an increase in health care costs...you need a government issued health card to get most services, therefore you are presumably in the country legally, and therefore presumably pay taxes as any other Canadian citizen. The ageing population is the cause for rising healthcare costs. We desperately need more immigrants so they can pay taxes to help cover the cost of the baby boomers. Not to mention driving future economic growth. The only other option is productivity gains but as of right now they are not keeping up.
exactly right about needing the immigrants. in fact, I would say that the entre real estate market, and in turn much of the economy, is underpinned by immigrant demand.
Canada kills off the sick, lame and lazy with their health care system, then their economy is strong!! Bet nobody figured that out, huh