The urban myth of 'free' health care

• if socialism is so compassionate, then why are so many older Europeans, with mental health issues receiving inferior medications? (“Professor Schoffski finds that only one-third of German patients who are treated for depression get Prozac or the other new meds; the majority are treated with the best pharmacology that the 1970s had to offer” - page 181);
• if socialism is so successful, then why are more Europeans now acknowledging that socialism is failing? (“Finland,” for instance, “sees privatization and contracting out as a major tool in the reform of public services” - page 178); and
• if socialism is so life affirming, then what led the West’s most liberal high court to out their Kremlin-style policies? (“On June 9, 2005, the Supreme Court of Canada called the healthcare system dangerous and deadly, striking down key laws and turning the country’s vaunted medicare on its head” - 178).

Gratzer convincingly argues that paternalistic over regulation, not sensible deregulation, lies at the heart - no pun intended - of the problems of Canada’s dying system.

In Vancouver Island, for example, 600,000 people had to share one MRI machine. And, to add insult to serious injury, that lonely machine could operate only on bankers’ hours. Is it any wonder why British Columbian physicians launch public protests?

“Therein lies the dirty truth of Canadian health care,” states Gratzer. “It is just like the old Soviet system” everything is free, but nothing is readily available.

Still, the fierce academic war on whether or not capitalism or socialism is far from over. Yes, America’s cancer rates are relatively good - but they will have to swallow a larger dose of capitalism in order to increase their lead.

To be fair, Europeans and Canadians are slowly waking up. Socialism, after all, is a faith system with a bad track record. One can believe in big brother as much as you like - but that doesn’t help increase breast cancer survival rates. Seriously.