Originally Posted By: The Dread Pirate Westley
You are functioning under a misconception. That misconception being that Socialized Medicine means that private health insurance is automaticly defunct, and it isn't


However, in the case of Canada, private health insurance was, in fact, banned until 2005. And, even then, the only reason it became legal was because Canada's high court struck down the law that prohibited private medical insurance.

We were discussing the Canadian model and whether it was a viable option for the U.S. This is another example of what it wasn't and, in my opinion, still isn't.

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There's still a viable option for private hospitals and private health coverage. Having national health insurance doesn't preclude these options. What it does do is establish a level of care and service against which to compete.

If a person knew that they may have to wait for an operation under national coverage but are guaranteed to get it and get it "for free," while seeking private care. Then I'm pretty that the odds of that private care actually following through on their obligation increases dramaticly.

They can be as corrupt as they want to be because there's no other place to go ... change that dynamic and watch corruption drop dramaticly.


I would like to see someone provide an example of government involvement in an industry (at least as a provider or subsidizer) that results in helping to foster competition or better service. Typically, the opposite is the case (see, e.g., Federal Express vs the U.S. Postal Service).

Certainly the government has a place reasonably regulating businesses for purposes of safety and public order. And the poor should continue to have a safety net.

However, the Canadian system, and similar socialized systems, go far beyond either of those appropriate goals and, like most other attempts at socialism, are crumbling under the weight of their own bureaucracises, inefficiences and failed business models.

It's one thing to believe the U.S. system can be improved. It's quite another, and dangerous, to automatically assume that the socialized systems would be better.