Busting Medicare Myths: Some Final Words on Health Care

WC has examined the U.S.’s health care crisis in a series of recent posts. Like a quack physician faced with something he doesn’t understand, Republicans insist on treating the wrong symptoms while ignoring the causes of the problem.

The most egregious example of ignoring real solutions is Canada’s successful solution. The Incidental Economist has a very thorough analysis of the excuses and distortions offered to condemn Canadian health care, and demonstrates the Republican claims don’t hold up to examination. WC strongly recommends Allan Carroll’s excellent post. Paul Krugman has similar, if less detailed, comments. Canada now offers a health care system that, by any number of measures, gets much better results for about half the cost. Unlike ours, it works pretty well. Also unlike ours, it doesn’t prey upon the poor.

WC suspects the lies and distortions Republican offer as grounds for avoiding Canada’s single-payer system are traceable to those who would be hurt the most by a conversion: the U.S. health insurance industry. But since 1966, Canada’s system has provided quality care to all, at greatly lower cost. The only reason we don’t have a similar system in the U.S. is a highly successful,very well funded lobbying campaign by the big winners in the current, gravely dysfunctional system. And a political party in the United States that for its own, crassly political reasons refuses to face the real issues.