The Problem with Canadian Healthcare

As an American living in Canada, I can personally attest to long wait times for doctors and diagonstics that dont exist in the US. Recently, my father had a terrible back problem and had to wait for 3 months in excruciating pain for an MRI and it took me 2 weeks of waiting to see my physician. So ya, the right wing propaganda machine is right... sort of.

The problem with the Canadian health care system is a problem that is almost unique to Canada in the industrialized world: a severe shortage of doctors. Although its a little dated, a National Post article from January 2008 puts it best

It's clear we have a problem. The country has approximately 15,000 too few doctors, a figure roughly double the total number of students in all years of study at our 17 medical schools combined. At a doctor-patient ratio of just 2.3 per 1,000 population, we are 24th on the list of 28 industrialized countries. Approximately 1.5 million Canadians cannot find a family physician as a result.

The reason for this shortage stems from an educational system that cannot keep up with the increasing demand for doctors. Now unless the current health care plans include serious overhauls of the American post-secondary education system, (a system which despite problems with cost, truly is the best in the world) I doubt any health care reform, even a Canadian style single payer, will result in Canadian style waiting lists

Between Me and My Doctor

Quick Post...
Everyone on the right seems to be particularly critical about 'the government coming between you and your doctor'. The assumption that is being made here is that there currently is no one between you and your doctor, and if the government were to step in things would be worse. However, this currently is not the case, as there is an insurance company acting as the middle man. Creating a public option would allow people to choose who they want to stand between them and their doctor, a profit driven corporation, or an agency of a democratically elected government.

When a Yellow Dog is Better than a Red Elephant

We have all become very familiar with the blue dog Democrats. The origin of their name comes from a play on the term 'yellow dog' Democrat(referring the extremely liberal Democrats choking yellow dogs blue). The phrase yellow dog Democrat originated in the 1900 Kentucky gubernatorial race during an internal democratic party uprising. Theodore Hallam, a prominent party member was speaking against the Democrats candidate when he was asked by a member of the crowd how he could be speaking against a Democratic candidate when at the state convention he had said that if the party had nominated a yaller dog, he would have voted for it.

He responded saying "I admit that I said then what I now repeat, namely, that when the Democratic party of Kentucky, in convention assembled, sees fit in its wisdom to nominate a yaller dog for the governorship of this great state, I will support him — but lower than that ye shall not drag me!" (Exit Laughing, by I.S. Cobb)

The yaller, or yellow dog Democrats represent the wing of the democratic party who for better or worse, will vote for a Democratic candidate no matter what. However, what concerns me, for want of a better term, are yellow dog republicans.

For a frighteningly large percentage of the population, politics is similar to spectator sports. Just like the way that the faithful have their team and stick to it, many people on both sides of the aisle will vote for any candidate as long as he has a D or R next to his/her name.

However, the anti-intellectual movement within the GOP has resulted in a congress where many of the GOP's elected representatives seem to be as far from the paragons of our society as possible. Representatives such has Congresswoman Bachman have the temperament of a rabid animal.

Four years ago, members of congress were committing egregious pork barreling. While this may have been awful for the nation, at least they were trying to serve their districts in earnest (or at least to get re-elected). Now the GOP has hardened into a defensive shell removing itself from the legislative process. Republican members of congress are playing solely to win the game of politics, without any thought to actual governance (even more than usual).

Which brings me back to the yellow dog. How long will the Republican base take to wake up and nominate to represent them a fine upstanding yellow dog?