Private vs. Public Healthcare.

In Canada, a lot of debate has been raised in the last few years over the issue of "two-tier" healthcare. The public system is struggling, and there is a debate going on over whether or not private hospitals should be permitted. Universal healthcare is very cherished in Canada, but conservatives argue that introducing a private system will improve the burden on the public system. Those who oppose say that the creation of a two-tier system will result in one system that is better then the other, attracting the best doctors and the best equipment, and that those who can't afford private or do not wish to pay will only be able to obtain second-rate healthcare. Why should Canadians not have choices regarding the time, place, and nature of their medical care when the suggestion of similar restrictions for food would be met with universal outrage? It is very hard to imagine why people should be denied choice in medical services when the only governmental challenge is to make sure that no Canadian is deprived of appropriate medical care because of true financial need. The private health care system grants freedom to choose and promises increased efficiency at low prices due to competition and specialized institutions. Many people are choosing private healthcare to gain the reassurance of knowing that treatment is available promptly if they become ill or injured. In addition, the privatized system offers new advance technology and machinery, along with short waiting lists and no limits on choice and access to new drugs. The following will examine why there should be emphasis on letting the marketplace compete with the public sector for the opportunity to provide care, while at the same time targeting taxpayers' dollars to those in need of assistance. It will be demonstrated, that encompassing a private healthcare system will shorten waiting lists for treatments and surgery's, get rid of price controls on drugs, and offer more advanced equipment and technology.

The

Bibliography: Altmeyer, Arthur. The Fromative Years of Social Srcurity. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1996. Bachman, George. Health Resources in the United States. Washington: Brookings Institution, 1992. Buchmueller, Andrew. The Effect of Pricing on Switching Among Health Plans. U.S.A.: Lexicographic Press, 1997. Feingold, Eugene. Medicare: Policy and Politics. San Francisco: Chandler Publishing Co., 1966. Millis, Henry. Sickness and Insurance. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987. Rosen, George. A History of Public Health. New York: MD Publications, Inc., 1998.