Supreme Court Strikes Down Private Health Insurance Ban
Two-tier health care: here we come.
In case you haven't heard, the Supreme Court of Canada has struck down Quebec's bans on private health care insurance, citing it as unconstitutional because it increases the risk to the life and health of Canadians.
The 4-3 ruling looked into a patient's right to pay for faster service in a system that currently treats patients on the basis of equal access to medical care, regardless of income.
79-year-old George Zeliotis and physician, Dr. Jacques Chaoulli launched a challenge to the Supreme Court of Canada, after losing their fight in Quebec's lower courts, arguing that having to wait for surgery violates a patient's constitutional right to life, liberty, and security of the person.
Zeliotis had to wait for more than a year in excruciating pain for hip replacement surgery in 1997.
Zeliotis and Dr. Chaoulli argued that being able to pay for private medical services wouldn't be detrimental to the public health care system.
Um. Yeah, right.
The Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal had dismissed the case, ruling that the provincial law's intent was not to discriminate among patients and to provide health care based on need rather than a patient's ability to pay.
The Canadian Medical Association said the Superior Court of Canada ruling could "fundamentally change the health-care system in Canada as we now know it" but declined to comment any further until it had time to study the decision.
See, one of the great things about being Canadian is free health care that was based on the premise that everyone should have equal access to it and that it had nothing to do with a person's ability to pay for faster service.
Okay, sure --- the wait times are a bitch.
The medical system needs a complete overhaul --- there's no denying that.
We have a doctor shortage, yet, we make foreign-trained doctors jump through hoops to get certified in Canada.
(Excellent documentary about this called "Doctors With Borders" that's on OMNI for any Canucks who are interested in tuning in.)
We have doctors who come to Canada as refugees and then we make them pay for one-year's tuition to get re-trained --- and most of them have to squeeze all this studying in between trying to earn a living to support their families.
Meanwhile, we have people in certain towns who don't have family doctors.
And now, with the Supreme court ruling, who knows what the hell we're facing? If a two-tiered health system comes into play, we could be looking at some of our top doctors and nurses being lured away into lucrative private practises and only those who can afford to pay will get the prompt and quality treatment that anyone should be able to get --- for free!
This completely goes against what the medical system here is all about.
In Alberta and British Columbia they've kinda sneaked the two-tier system in, where there are private clinics in place where you can go if you've got the cash.
Two-tier healthcare...the whole idea really makes me uneasy.
And incredibly the Supreme Court of Canada has agreed with this guy today in a very narrow ruling...which means that the face of healthcare could change in the very near future...and who knows what that'll be like?
I just feel like this cuts away at what it means to be Canadian.
If we usher in a two-tiered system, then we're no better than the Americans.
In case you haven't heard, the Supreme Court of Canada has struck down Quebec's bans on private health care insurance, citing it as unconstitutional because it increases the risk to the life and health of Canadians.
The 4-3 ruling looked into a patient's right to pay for faster service in a system that currently treats patients on the basis of equal access to medical care, regardless of income.
79-year-old George Zeliotis and physician, Dr. Jacques Chaoulli launched a challenge to the Supreme Court of Canada, after losing their fight in Quebec's lower courts, arguing that having to wait for surgery violates a patient's constitutional right to life, liberty, and security of the person.
Zeliotis had to wait for more than a year in excruciating pain for hip replacement surgery in 1997.
Zeliotis and Dr. Chaoulli argued that being able to pay for private medical services wouldn't be detrimental to the public health care system.
Um. Yeah, right.
The Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal had dismissed the case, ruling that the provincial law's intent was not to discriminate among patients and to provide health care based on need rather than a patient's ability to pay.
The Canadian Medical Association said the Superior Court of Canada ruling could "fundamentally change the health-care system in Canada as we now know it" but declined to comment any further until it had time to study the decision.
See, one of the great things about being Canadian is free health care that was based on the premise that everyone should have equal access to it and that it had nothing to do with a person's ability to pay for faster service.
Okay, sure --- the wait times are a bitch.
The medical system needs a complete overhaul --- there's no denying that.
We have a doctor shortage, yet, we make foreign-trained doctors jump through hoops to get certified in Canada.
(Excellent documentary about this called "Doctors With Borders" that's on OMNI for any Canucks who are interested in tuning in.)
We have doctors who come to Canada as refugees and then we make them pay for one-year's tuition to get re-trained --- and most of them have to squeeze all this studying in between trying to earn a living to support their families.
Meanwhile, we have people in certain towns who don't have family doctors.
And now, with the Supreme court ruling, who knows what the hell we're facing? If a two-tiered health system comes into play, we could be looking at some of our top doctors and nurses being lured away into lucrative private practises and only those who can afford to pay will get the prompt and quality treatment that anyone should be able to get --- for free!
This completely goes against what the medical system here is all about.
In Alberta and British Columbia they've kinda sneaked the two-tier system in, where there are private clinics in place where you can go if you've got the cash.
Two-tier healthcare...the whole idea really makes me uneasy.
And incredibly the Supreme Court of Canada has agreed with this guy today in a very narrow ruling...which means that the face of healthcare could change in the very near future...and who knows what that'll be like?
I just feel like this cuts away at what it means to be Canadian.
If we usher in a two-tiered system, then we're no better than the Americans.
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