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‘It’s a false debate’

Bob Rae wades far enough into the American health care debate to say we should stay out of it.

If the U.S. falters in their quest for a better system, it will be their loss. I don’t really hear many voices in their political system arguing for “the Canadian solution.” It’s a false debate. The questions are simple. Should anyone be denied health care because of their income, disability, or illness? (No.) Should patients be able to choose their doctors, and advocate for speedy, effective treatment? (Yes.) Should insurers, taxpayers, and premium payers be worried about how to control costs as an ageing society combines with great technological advance to produce an expensive mix? (Yes.)

Keep Canada out of the U.S. debate. We’ve never suggested exporting our system. We have our own debates and our own issues, and because of the moral choices we made 40 years ago they are different from the American paradigm. We should be proud of what we have, but we need to keep the focus on how to improve it, how to combine access, excellence, and innovation. We shouldn’t treat health care as some kind of taboo subject. We should keep what we have and make it better. And hope our friends in the U.S. will find their own answers to the questions that lie at the heart of health care everywhere.

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