Part 4: Canadian Health Care and U.S. Health Reform Debates

Continuing my series of posts on Canadian health care in American political debates (previous posts from March, May, and August, respectively; also check out Mara’s posts in September on the same here and here), I thought it interesting that after my previous post noting the lack of Canadian political leaders defending our health care system, one well known Canadian did step up to deliver a strong defense.

Former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Surprised? Maybe because current Conservative PM has been so silent on this point?  Or because it is usually the Liberals and New Democrats that claim the founding or “saving” of universal health care among their successes?  In any case, check out Mulroney’s defense of Canadian health care and President Obama.   Of course, when a former Conservative Prime Minister, mainly remembered in the U.S. for his close relationship with President Reagan, lauds a Democratic President, they take notice down south. 

A few media outlets noticed Mulroney’s speech, but so the politicos: Read a post on the popular U.S. centre-left blog Talking Points Memo here and another popular blog Daily Kos takes note here.

Mulroney draws parallels between the tough criticisms he sustained for GST and free trade and the fierce criticism that Obama is facing today on health reform.  However accurate those comparisons might be, it is still pretty provocative for a former Prime Minister to wade into the middle of a deeply divisive American debate.

Yet, despite despite the divide and disinformation, slowly some more accurate information is finally getting out to American media about Canadian health care.  It’s not perfect, it has problems, but it’s not the “bogeyman”, and it seems to be doing just as well as the American system, at much less the cost.

“There is an image of Canadians flooding across the border to get care,” said Donald Berwick, a Harvard University health- policy specialist and pediatrician who heads the Boston-based nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement. “That’s just not the case. The public in Canada is far more satisfied with the system than they are in the U.S. and health care is at least as good, with much more contained costs.”

(Quote Taken from this Bloomberg story)

Now, that may not be saying much; the American health care system is in dire need of radical overhaul– but it’s something.  Definitely something. But is anyone in the U.S. — in Congress or otherwise — actually paying attention?

I’m skeptical.