Canada-Style Health System Is Not a Remedy
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The April 10 article, “Canada Proud of Healthcare, Not Wait,” points out key challenges facing the Canadian healthcare system. Long waits for healthcare services, a slowness to adopt new technologies, a shortage of physicians and nurses, and the rising costs of maintaining a large bureaucracy are all hallmarks of a single-payer system.
The lesson learned from Canada: Adopting a similar system here would be a mistake. Instead, a continued mix of private- and public-sector financing with both coverage and care remaining firmly in the private sector is the answer.
The American Medical Assn. has long advocated for a system of tax credits that would empower individuals to purchase health insurance, particularly lower-income Americans. Tax credits and other market-based reforms will expand choice, restrain costs and improve quality. The American healthcare system is far from perfect, but by building on the strengths of our current system, we can provide health insurance to a greater number of Americans without compromising timely access and high-quality care.
J. Edward Hill MD
President-elect
AMA, Chicago
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