Canadian doctors have given their blessing to patients having the option of purchasing private health insurance as a possible solution to the problem of not getting timely medically necessary treatment in the public system.
Delegates to the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association weighed in on the divisive subject Wednesday, defeating key resolutions aimed at getting voting physicians to register intolerance for any new parallel system of private health care.The meeting was marked by what appeared to be a determined willingness by the majority of the 250 delegates to keep private-care options firmly on the table.
A day earlier, they overwhelming approved a resolution asking governments to remove existing bans that prevent physicians from practising in both the private and public sectors. At the time, they rejected an amendment that said such a move would be allowed only if there was no negative impact on the publicly funded system.
Thanks to The Crisper for the pointer.The Canadian physicians were meeting in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, which is a wonderful place to vacation. A few years ago, we stayed there at a B&B, and the owner relayed a story of his need for a cardiologist to monitor his heart condition. When he moved from Ottawa to PEI, since he was new to the province, he was told that he was number 609 in the queue to be seen by a cardiologist, which the provincial health authorities estimated meant a wait of about two years.
If you want to hear better ideas about how to reform health care, come to the Crisis of Abundance forum at Cato on Tuesday. Tickets are going fast, so register soon.