FYI--Why Socialized Medicine May Not Work with Aging Population

Read the following article as posted in LifeNews for an indication of what the United States may encounter with our new health care system.

Canada Rethinking Pro-Rationing Socialized Medicine Because of Rising Costs
Ottawa, Canada (LifeNews.com) -- Pressured by an aging population and the need to rein in budget deficits, Canada’s provinces are taking tough measures to curb healthcare costs, a trend that could erode the principles of the socialized medicine system that has produced long waits and rationing of care.
British Columbia is replacing block grants to hospitals with fee-for-procedure payments and Quebec has a new flat health tax and a proposal for payments on each medical visit — an idea that critics say is an illegal user fee.
And a few provinces are also experimenting with private funding for procedures such as hip, knee and cataract surgery.
It’s likely just a start as the provinces, responsible for delivering healthcare, cope with the demands of a retiring baby-boom generation. Official figures show that senior citizens will make up 25 percent of the population by 2036.
Conservative writer Ed Morrissey of Hot Air commented on the news.
"American fans of single-payer health care have long held Canada as an example of success in both providing health care and controlling costs. Canadians have more reason to question both, however, especially the latter. The provinces, which bear a significant portion of those costs, may end some services and curtail others as ballooning costs have exposed the cradle-to-grave system as unsustainable," he noted.


Posted in www.LifeNews.com on June 6, 2010