One of the common refrains among many of the Democratic Presidential candidates this year is that the United States needs Medicare for all. According to Democrats, the problems with the US healthcare system are so great that only further government intervention into healthcare can fix it.
Liberals in the US like to point to the Canadian healthcare system as an example of what the US should do, and like to offer Canada as a blueprint for success. And numerous Canadian internet trolls love to spout off in the comment sections of internet message boards about how wonderful their healthcare experiences in Canada were. But the reality is that Canadian healthcare is only great for those who can get it, while many patients wait months or even years for treatment.
That’s the case for Oula Jaber, who has been waiting for two years for a laryngoscopy that would restore her ability to breathe. For the past two years, Jaber has lived in the long-term care section of a hospital, unable to return home since she relies on a ventilator in order to breathe. Her hospital room costs Canadian taxpayers about $1,700 a month, and Jaber has no idea where she is on the waiting list or how much longer she’ll have to wait.
Waiting isn’t unusual for Canadians, either, as the median wait time for surgical procedures in Canada is nearly 21 weeks. That’s the nature of socialized medicine. When medical care is rationed, waiting lists are the result, and some patients will undoubtedly die before they’re able to get adequate medical care.
That’s what the socialists vying for the Democratic nomination don’t want people to find out. They promise cheaper medical care and greater access to care, but don’t tell you that the result will make the DMV and post office look like highly efficient, well-oiled machines.
Unfortunately there are too many Americans today who are incensed with the current healthcare system and who will buy the Democrats’ promises, hoping for an improvement. But, like Oula Jaber, they’ll find out the hard way that talk is cheap. If Americans can’t learn from other countries’ mistakes, how many thousands of people will have to die on waiting lists before Americans realize that socialized medicine is a recipe for disaster?