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Recent Articles from Around the World

Recent Articles from Around the World

Medical Care in Italy and Germany Highlights Problems with Universal Healthcare

The Hawaii Reporter By Raphael Eredita
February 26, 2009
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?2a972828-2fb8-4225-b63b-9fb82c9a0840

As a U.S. citizen who lived overseas for over 30 years in Europe, and as a sickly patient who has been through the Italian and German health care systems, I am very well acquainted with Universal Healthcare and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy…Socialized medicine is free to everyone because the cost of it all is seriously brought down by taking away the motivation of going to nursing and medical school by paying medical staff little more than minimum wage.

Leader: NHS policy on drug provision must be addressed

The Scotsman
February 23, 2009
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/leadercomment/NHS-policy-on-drug-provision.5004984.jp

No trap is greater, or its solution more costly, than that which has ensnared the NHS. Every new medical breakthrough - from stem cell technology to cancer treatment - immediately raises expectations of instant access and universal application. But there are just not the resources to satisfy on every front. That is the paradox of the NHS: vast though its budget has grown to be, it cannot hope to match the ever-rising expectations of the population.

Editorial: First, improve our health

The Roanoke Times (VA) By Alice Louise Kassens
February 18, 2009
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/195007

Universal healthcare is an extremely expensive venture and before such a burden is placed upon our country and future generations, we should ask what is its purpose and if it will achieve its intended goal…While increased access to health care will aid in the treatment of trauma, heart disease and cancer, changes in behavior and lifestyle could prevent many of these diseases from happening in the first place. Instead of spending an exorbitant amount of taxpayer dollars to address the health problems caused by poor choices, Americans should be implored to serve their country by changing their ways and saving all of us a tremendous amount of money.

The Market Can Fix the Healthcare Problem

U.S. News By Newt Gingrich
January 27, 2009
http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2009/01/27/the-market-can-fix-the-healthcare-problem.html

“More government bureaucrats involved in your healthcare would be destructive. Other countries with similar systems face lengthy and often deadly waiting lists… We must offer a positive alternative where healthcare becomes more accessible and of higher quality at lower cost. That is what normal markets produce… A truly modernized, intelligent health system would focus on measurably improving health outcomes for all Americans. It would be ideologically agnostic about public or private initiatives and instead seek to scale up successful programs and discard those not producing results.”

‘Obamacare’: More Socialism in America…Universal Healthcare

American Daily By: J. D. Longstreet
February 6, 2009
http://americandaily.com/index.php/article/497

“We are pledged to work as hard as we can to see that universal health insurance does not come to America. Why? Mainly, for two reasons. First: because it is out and out socialism. That is why, dear reader, it is referred to as socialized medicine! The second reason, and just as important as the first, is the fact that socialized medicine will utterly destroy what is arguably, the best healthcare system on the planet!”

Editorial: Do we really want government making decisions on health care?

The News-Sentinel By Douglas Wellman
February 11, 2009
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090211/EDITORIAL/902110363

“Perhaps the most serious problem with UHC [universal health care] is that it will take control of approximately 8 percent of our economy and put it under the control of government bureaucrats. To date, there isn’t one entitlement program that is run by the federal government that is run efficiently. The other problem is the wait time; In Canada, a nation that has that utopian model of UHC, it takes three months to get an MRI. That is because bureaucrats determine when they can get diagnostics because they, not doctors, control the purse strings.”

Editorial: Good health

The Pueblo Chieftain
February 12, 2009
http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/02/12/editorial/doc4993e1f8480a1914426725.txt

With the economic slowdown, this is not the time to enact a universal health care system; it is not financially feasible. Instead, the focus should be on providing insurance to more people so they can access healthcare.

Opinion: We must walk the walk on universal health care

The Portsmouth Herald News By Christopher Nevins
January 30, 2009
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090130-OPINION-901300366

To truly have universal, affordable and high quality health care the U.S. would have to make many sacrifices that would dilute the care given. There is a tradeoff between ensuring everyone has the same quality and access to health services and just helping the truly poor cover their expenses through Medicaid. This tradeoff is very real and must seriously consider before President Obama tries to reform our health care system.

Health care a la francaise

The Gazette By Peter O’neil
February 1, 2009
http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/insight/story.html?id=87b9dcbe-c45c-4501-809d-bcc91b29350f

The French health care system seems to be the best model as it includes robust private sector involvement and has been ranked the best in the world in terms of quality and service. This two-tiered, private-public partnership might be the best model for Canada to utilize as health care costs are soaring and unsustainable.

Opinion: If we get universal health care, we’ll never be rid of it, even when it fails

The News- Sentinel By Joseph Koenig
February 5, 2009
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090205/EDITORIAL/902050344

The very concept of universal health care is fundamentally flawed; it is not a matter of it simply not having been implemented correctly in the past. The collectivist underpinnings of such a system deny the principles that have made this the most prosperous country in the history of the world.

A Cure for Canada

The National Post By Brian Day
January 25, 2009

There is a vital link between health care and the economy. A study commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association in 2008 showed that the economic cost of waiting for care, based on only four of thousands of categories of illness and injury, was almost $15-billion in just one year. A StatsCan report revealed that waiting for mental health care imposed a $51-billion economic burden in just one year. Also in 2008, in a comparison with 29 European countries, the European Consumer Powerhouse group ranked Canada last in value for money.

Pelosi Makes the Argument Against Universal Health Care

The Cool Blue Blog
January 26, 2009
http://coolblue.typepad.com/the_cool_blue_blog/2009/01/pelosi-makes-the-argument-against-universal-healthcare.html

If the Government controls access to healthcare, they could decide that certain types of illnesses are not “cost-effective” to treat. We have seen examples of this in countries that have Universal healcare and in this regard I like to point out the Netherlands where it was decided by the Government there that certain types of births defects could result in “termination” of the infant against the will of the parents. Allowing government to control the health care system seems to be unacceptable.

Opinion: No Universal Health Care

The Salt Lake Tribune
January 26, 2009
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_11555848

It appears that single-payer (read: government-run) health care is back on the Beltway agenda, and that concerns me. When I was growing up, back in the dawn of recorded history, there were three things that were deemed essential for survival: food, clothing and shelter. It was the responsibility of the individual to provide these things; they were not a right or an entitlement. President Barack Obama counsels that we must take responsibility for our lives, yet now comes the notion that “health care” is a universal right. If this be the case, what of the three necessities?

World Focus (video)

January 26, 2009
http://worldfocus.org/blog/2009/01/26/the-highs-and-lows-of-universal-health-care-in-brazil/3768/

No one benefits more than the poor, and physicians are given incentives and paid up to three times more to work in the poorest areas of Brazil. As a result, infant mortality is down and life expectancy is up, but there are drawbacks. Offering so much has put a strain on the health system. Most of Brazil’s hospitals are considered substandard, with long waits for procedures.

Letter to the Editor: My Experience with Universal Healthcare

The Augusta Chronicle
January 27, 2009
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/01/29/let_509492.shtml

Regarding the letter “Health care needs to be like Europe’s” (Jan. 17), the universalization of health care as “our allies in Europe” have is not the panacea for the health care problems in our country, as writer Mike Brackett suggests. In 2006 and 2007 I lived and worked in England. While there, I observed the mess that British universal health care is in. Hospitals and local clinics were closing because the government was not properly funding the program. Doctors were abandoning the system because they couldn’t pay their staffs on the NIH’s compensation. Doctors who did remain in the program were not taking any new patients. And people were suffering, and literally dying, because they could not get in to see a doctor.

Report: National health care mandate would cost N.Y. jobs

The Elmira Star-Gazette (NY) By Cara Matthews
January 29, 2009
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20090129/UPDATE/301290027

New York would lose more than 73,000 jobs between this year and 2013 — 77 percent of them from small businesses — if a national employer health-care mandate were enacted, according to a National Federation of Independent Business report released Thursday.

Letters: Access to healthcare

The Irish Times
January 22, 2009
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2009/0122/1232474673151.html

I refer to the letter from Prof Keane of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (January 21st) and note with some alarm that he never once refers to one of the most distressing problems of our health service inequality of access. The two-tier system that has grown under the stewardship of Mary Harney is a vulgarity that one would have expected to be mentioned in any letter regarding the current position.

Universal healthcare and the waistline police

The Christian Science Monitor Paul Hsieh
January 7 2009
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0107/p09s01-coop.html

Imagine a country where the government regularly checks the waistlines of citizens over age 40. Anyone deemed too fat would be required to undergo diet counseling… this is contemporary Japan. The Japanese government argues that it must regulate citizens’ lifestyles because it is paying their health costs. Any government that attempts to guarantee healthcare must also control its costs. Hence, Americans should beware that if we adopt universal healthcare, we also risk creating a “nanny state on steroids” antithetical to core American principles.

Misplaced generosity over healthcare

New Straits Times (Malaysia) John Teo
January 15, 2009
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Columns/2453813/Article/index_html

My 80-year-old mother may be forgiven for her cynicism about most things at her age. Dependent on daily medication for her chronic hypertension for decades now, she rues how much the government has “lost” over the years on account of her free drugs, for which others in similar circumstances fork out a couple of hundred ringgit per month commercially.

Starved to death in an NHS hospital: Damning inquiry highlights case of patient left without food for 26 days

Daily Mail (London) By Michael Lea
January 9, 2009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1110054/Starved-death-NHS-hospital-Damning-inquiry-highlights-case-patient-left-food-26-days.html

A vulnerable patient starved to death in an NHS hospital after 26 days without proper nourishment. Martin Ryan, 43, had suffered a stroke which left him unable to swallow. But a ‘total breakdown in communication’ meant he was never fitted with a feeding tube. It was one of a number of horrific cases where the NHS fatally failed patients with learning difficulties, a health watchdog is expected to rule later this month.

Watchdog calls for patients to go private

Daily Mail (London) Sandra Murphy
January 7, 2009

Campaigners last night called for the State to pay for private treatment for thousands of public patients waiting over 18 months for their first hospital appointment. The Exchequer would save over e2,800 per patient if private health insurance were given to everyone on the waiting list, a patient watchdog claimed last night.

Deaths from NHS blunders up 60%; Care ‘is suffering as staff chase targets’

Daily Mail (London) Daniel Martin
January 6, 2009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1106074/Deaths-hospital-blunders-soar-60-years-NHS-staff-abandon-quality-care-chase-targets.html

The number of patients killed by hospital blunders has soared by 60 per cent in just two years. Critics say quality of NHS care has suffered as doctors and nurses come under pressure to meet Government waiting time targets.

Government Price Controls Can’t Fix Health Care

Washington Examiner By Peter Pitts
January 12, 2009
http://www.dcexaminer.com/opinion/Government_price_controls_cant_fix_health_care_011208.html

National healthcare spending hit a record high of $2.2 trillion in 2007, according to a report just released by the government. The total accounts for over 16 percent of the nation’s GDP, and averages out to a $7,421 bill for each one of us.

NHS ’still failing on safe care’

BBC News
December 11, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7775568.stm

The NHS in England and Wales is failing to ensure patient care is “as safe as it reasonably could be”, the head of the Healthcare Commission has said. In its annual report, Sir Ian Kennedy said the NHS was “only just out of the starting blocks” on the issue.

NHS warned to cut errors in hospitals and surgeries

The Guardian John Carvel
December 11, 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/dec/11/nhs-health-healthcare-commission

The NHS in England is struggling to attain an acceptable standard of safety in hospitals and GP surgeries, the Healthcare Commission says today in an annual report to parliament. The watchdog praised trusts for making huge improvements in the speed and effectiveness of treatment. But it warned that NHS boards do not yet systematically investigate why one in 10 patients admitted to hospital suffers harm as a result of an error and called for a national database of untoward events.

Mansfield mum wants cancer drug on NHS

Mansfield Chad, UK By Nick Brimacombe
December 10, 2008
http://www.chad.co.uk/news/Mansfield-mum-wants-cancer-drug.4776374.jp

A Mansfield mum battling bowel cancer has made a heartfelt plea for health chiefs to make a potentially life-extending treatment drug available on the NHS.

Less Government Involvement Holds Key to Affordable Health Insurance

National Center for Policy Analysis
December 10, 2008
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=17344

The U.S. Census Bureau’s report on health insurance statistics, which showed a decrease in the number of Americans uninsured last year, has been called into question by experts for overestimating and oversimplifying the number of uninsured.

Reduced Visit Time Affecting Patient Health And Physician Job Satisfaction, Study Shows

Medical News Today
December 9, 2008
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/132373.php

UK doctors are more likely than their European counterparts to say that a shortage of healthcare providers has driven down visit lengths since they started work. 87 percent of British doctors say that time constraints have a negative impact on patient health.

A&E doctor numbers ‘inadequate’

BBC News
December 9, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7770952.stm

The number of A&E consultants across the UK needs to be doubled to provide adequate cover, experts have warned. Only a minority of emergency departments have enough senior staffing to ensure patient safety, says the College of Emergency Medicine.

UK migrants: ‘Leaving the hospital felt like walking my father to his death’

Times Online By Julia Belluz
December 8, 2008
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5294868.ece

A crackdown on “health tourism” has left many migrants in an NHS limbo and some are dying while waiting for treatment.

Socialized Medicine In The US Could Cost Me My life

WebCommentary By J.D. Longstreet
December 8, 2008
http://www.webcommentary.com/asp/ShowArticle.asp?id=longstreej&date=081208

Socialized medicine may seem like a good thing to you; unless you are sick, even less so if you are chronically ill. We have been warning of the dangers, and the short comings, of socialized medicine for a very long time and it is looking more and more as if we are going to have it rammed down our throats by the democrats… whether we want it or not.

The integrated care pilot bids are in and there’s a lot of crossed fingers in the private sector, says Vernon Baxter

HealthInvestor, UK
December 8, 2008
http://www.healthinvestor.co.uk/(A(iGFb1s-PyQEkAAAANTU5NTQzYTktZDQzNy00ZjgzLTk5NGItOWI1ZWM2M2RlMzRkuBf8eY87DiFlmdu4vGSGdk_zF4w1)S(vevfah20rzdjthquz0unf545))/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=377&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

When the Department of Health announced it was considering launching a pilot programme to road test ‘integrated care organisations’ (ICOs), it received over 700 expressions of interest from the health community. At a time when the economy is flagging, that is an impressive return. But what has got the market so excited? NHS Alliance chair Dr Michael Dixon is convinced ICOs are “the future of the NHS,” but for those without Dixon’s prescience, the more immediate questions are what exactly are they, and who will be running them? For now, at least, there are no simple answers. But it is a good bet that a number of those expressions of interest will have been from private providers and they will be looking for a sizable chunk of the eventual market – indeed, the integrated care model that originally caught the government’s eye belongs to the commercial sector.

The Trouble with Canadian Healthcare

The American By Brett J. Skinner
December 6, 2008
http://www.american.com/archive/2008/december-12-08/the-trouble-with-canadian-healthcare

Many people assume that Canadians enjoy universal healthcare coverage while receiving the same quality and quantity of medical goods and services as Americans. But the alleged superiority of single-payer health care is not consistent with the evidence. The reality is that, on average, Americans spend more of their income on healthcare than Canadians do but get faster access to more and better medical resources.

Canadian Experts Warn Nation Only Has 1,370 Obs

AHN
December 5, 2008
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013301285

It is not just experts in pregnancy and childbirth who are in acute shortage throughout Canada. The lack of healthcare practitioners including doctors, nurses, midwives and caregivers is felt across the nation.

Re: “British Balance Benefit vs. Cost of Latest Drugs”

The New York Times (Letter to the Editor) By Peter Pitts
December 8, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/opinion/l08health.html…

No funds for mental illness, says doctor

Welland Tribune By Allan Benner
December 4, 2008
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1329760

“I don’t think we are going anywhere,” he said. “This is the status quo. Canada is lagging 10th out of 16 countries in health care,” Abraham said, referring to a Conference Board of Canada study released Oct. 28.

Inuit lack proper access to doctors: Report

Canada.com
December 3, 2008
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1026850

The Inuit population in Canada were less likely than the general Canadian population to see a doctor at least once a year even though only half reported as being in good health, according to a survey released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.

Canadians fall through cracks without pharmacare: report

Cbcnews.ca
December 2, 2008
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/12/01/drug-plan.html

The rising cost of drugs prevents some Canadians from getting the treatments they need, the Canadian Health Coalition says in renewing its call for a national pharmacare plan.

Canada not the solution either

ZDNET By Dana Blankenhorn
December 1, 2008
http://healthcare.zdnet.com/?p=1557

A mixed public-private health care system works best, according to a Canadian research institute.

The Frasier Institute: Canada needs to follow European example and increase private-sector involvement in health care

MarketWatch
December 1, 2008
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/The-Fraser-Instit…

Canada’s refusal to consider increased private sector involvement and competition in health care has left the country struggling with a health care system burdened with lengthy wait lists and aging medical technology despite being one of the most expensive systems among industrialized nations, concludes a new study released today by independent research organization the Fraser Institute.

Consensus emerging on universal healthcare

Los Angeles Times By Noam N. Levy
December 1, 2008
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-healthcare1-2008dec01,0,333608.story

The idea of a federal, single-payer system patterned on those in Europe and Canada, long a dream of the political left, is now virtually off the table. Rejected as well is the traditionally conservative concept, championed by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during the presidential campaign, of reforming healthcare mainly by giving incentives for more Americans to buy insurance on their own.

Fraser Institute Hosts Discussion on Canada’s Aging and Outdated Medical Technology

PR-CANADA.net
November 30, 2008
http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=67971&Itemid=61

Canada maintains the third most expensive universal access health care system in the developed world but Canadian patients continue to endure greater risks because the country’s health care system regularly employs aging and outdated medical technology.

Legalize better health care in Ontario

Western Standard
November 29, 2008
http://westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2008/11/legalize-better.html

On October 1, 1969, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario gave the government of Ontario a monopoly on health care insurance. It did so by passing a law making it illegal to buy or sell private health insurance for most medical services. Prior to the ban, everyone in Ontario was free to buy private health insurance, and to buy medical services. Most Ontarians who wanted private health insurance had it, and they were quite happy with it.

Let’s compromise

Calgary Herald
November 29, 2008
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/letters/story.html?id=26587a37-d96f-424a-9e58-c79baef3a12b

I agree that Alberta would not benefit from an American health-care system. But it is time that Canadians acknowledge our system is broken, wait times are unacceptable and people are likely to die or get sicker because of them.

Doctor Shortage Still A Looming Problem In Canada

The Sarnia Observer By Christina Spencer
November 28, 2008
http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1320577

Not enough is being done to fix the country’s shortage of general practitioners, according to Canada’s family doctors. In a bleak report card released yesterday, the College of Family Physicians of Canada gave a D grade to efforts to get the right number and type of health care workers into Canadian communities.

Health care needs money not bilingualism

Miramichi Leader
November 28, 2008
http://miramichileader.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/494861

As was reported in our newspapers, language “police” commissioner Michel Carrier has received a few complaints over the past year and is recommending that the Graham Government provide millions more tax dollars for language training that would rarely be used. Meanwhile the public health care we have relied upon for decades is rapidly deteriorating. If this downward trend is allowed to continue New Brunswickers and Canadians in general had best be prepared to pay for a large portion of our health services in the near future.

Health professionals call throne speech a huge disappointment for ignoring “health-care deficit”

National Union of Public and General Employees, Canada By Mike Luff
November 19, 2008
http://www.nupge.ca/news_2008/n19no08c.htm

Health professionals are calling today’s speech from the throne a “huge disappointment” because it failed to address important issues facing Canada’s health-care system.

Health ministers should enforce the law

Straight Goods, Canada By David Eggen
November 19, 2008
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature8.cfm?REF=612

Most Canadians have known for some time that something serious was wrong with healthcare policy in this country, and now there is plenty of evidence to confirm our suspicions. A groundbreaking report released October 6 by the Canadian Health Coalition lays it on the line: without a serious commitment to strengthening and expanding our public medicare system most Canadians will be paying more, waiting longer and getting a whole lot less.

Patient First Review launched – not ruling out private health care

Nipawin Journal, Canada By Melissa Mangelsen
November 19, 2008
http://www.nipawinjournal.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1304781

A first of its kind in Canada, Patient First Review, was launched last week with former head of Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital, Tony Dagnone, appointed as the commissioner to lead the Patient First independent review. Saskatchewan, which is the birthplace of Medicare, is overhauling its healthcare system and officials say they won’t rule out privatizing some elements.

The Future Delivery of Medicine: 2020 – The policy implications

Science Business By Nuala Moran
November 19, 2008
http://bulletin.sciencebusiness.net/ebulletins/showissue.php3?page=/548/art/12188&ch=1

Healthcare systems need to be re-engineered to create an environment where technology is encouraged and enhanced in ways it has not been before, said Niall Dickson of the Kings Fund, a UK healthcare policy think tank.

Critics violate health act: critics

Edmonton Sun By Alyssa Noel
November 18, 2008
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2008/11/18/7447941-sun.html

Friends of Medicare say Health Minister Ron Liepert should investigate the Copeman Healthcare Centre and Rhythm Health - along with seven other Alberta clinics - for charging user fees that possibly foster queue-jumping and create a “wall” to universal access, said David Eggen, the group’s executive director.

ADQ chief defends two-tier health care

The Gazette By Roberto Rocha
November 15, 2008
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=421f7c32-ec68-408e-bcb9-460bfcaf73c8

As he had proposed before, the ADQ chief wants to open Quebec’s health care system to private alternatives, giving people the choice of paying for speedier care.

NHS ‘less consumer-friendly’ than Estonian health system

Healthcare Republic Healthcare Republic
November 14, 2008
http://www.healthcarerepublic.com/news/GP/862254/NHS-less-consumer-friendly-Estonian-health-system/

The British health system is less consumer-friendly than that of Estonia, according to a Brussels-based ‘do tank’.

UK healthcare ‘behind Estonia’

The Guardian By John Carvel
November 14, 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/14/nhs-euro-health-estonia

In a set of rankings for the Euro Health consumer index, the UK was thirteenth, putting it below Estonia. More market based systems on the list widely outperformed government run systems.

UK healthcare ‘worse than Estonia’

The Press Association
November 13, 2008
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jn37lVExdNmuCcG8yag91y7Th8xg

Patients receive worse healthcare in the UK than in former Soviet state Estonia. Services in Britain were ranked 13th - one spot above Hungary - in a league table of 31 European nations.

NHS faces demands for refunds after U turn on top-up drug payments

The Daily Mail By Jenny Hope
November 5, 2008
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1083038/NHS-faces-demands-refunds-U-turn-drug-payments.html

In a long awaited reversal of policy, the UK will now allow patients to buy extra drugs, particularly expensive cancer drugs not covered by the NHS, without having to forfeit their NHS care. But some patients are now asking for refunds on money already spent on drugs now covered.

Do medication top-up fees mean the end of the NHS?

The Times By Simon Crompton
November 8, 2008
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5106788.ece

The decision by Britain’s NHS to allow patients to buy expensive drugs that are not covered without losing their government care has called into question for many the extent to which the system’s founding principles remain true –and the extent to which they signal its destruction.

Top-up fees: Why equality is a cruel doctrine in the NHS

The Telegraph By Alasdair Palmer
November 11, 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/11/09/do0903.xml

The change in policy to permit patients to top up their medical treatment has led some in Britain to express concerns that it undermines the principle of equality within the system and will create two tiered care in which the rich get much better treatment then the less wealthy.

Deal reached on NHS drug prices

BBC
November 19, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7737027.stm

New flexible pricing rules for Britain’s NHS allow for initially low prices to be raised if efficacy is shown. Doctors will allow be permitted to prescribe branded versions of drugs for which a generic exists, contrary to present policy.

Record Costs Threaten Canada’s Picture of Health

The Globe and Mail By Lisa Priest
November 14, 2008
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081114.whealth14/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

Spiraling costs in Canada are imperiling the health care system, at least in its present form, and may have negative effects for patients.

Canadian Health Care System Riddled with Aging and Outdated Medical Technology

The Fraser Institute
November 10, 2008
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/The-Fraser-Institute-Canadian-Health/story.aspx?guid={AC8DB998-77AD-4A34-9C69-B6F92ED5B011}

Canadian think tank the Fraser Institute says that Canada’s medical technology is often old or obsolete, imperiling Canadians’ health.

Health care as ‘religion’ must end: CMA chief

The National Post By Charles Lewis
November 4, 2008
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=930125

The head of the Canadian Medical Association has said Canadian’s must stop treating their health care system as a “religion” and spoke out in favor of private sector care.

Healthcare in Europe: Employers ‘could cut back on benefit levels’

The Telegraph
October 21, 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/10/21/expat-healthcare-in-europe.xml

Americans are not the only ones worried that their employers will drop health insurance, many companies in Europe are mulling ceasing to offer coverage due to rising costs.

Doctor shortage pains voters

The Gazette
November 12, 2008
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=a4ea2967-c50e-4db6-8271-872fca565cb7

With a provincial election set for Dec. 8, Libby’s story underscores two trends in Quebec health care under Premier Jean Charest: the shortage of family doctors and the increasing privatization of medical services.

Think twice about health care

The Reporter
November 11, 2008
http://www.thereporter.com/opinion/ci_10954219

For those who think universal health care is the answer to our medical problems, heed this information I gleaned from talking with relatives in Great Britain and reading “Reality Check,” by Dennis Keegan and David West.

Putting Patients First

National Center for Policy Analysis
November 11, 2008
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=17242

Canada has a health care system where everything revolves around the system. When Medicare was introduced it was supposed to be a floor, meaning no one would suffer because they didn’t have access to necessary healthcare. What it has evolved into is a ceiling where no one is allowed better health care than what the government will give them, says Dr. Brian Day, an orthopedic surgeon and ex-president of the Canadian Medical Association.

We’re lucky to live in an age of medical miracles. What we desperately need now is a health care service to match

Daily Mail By Karol Sikora
November 11, 2008
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1084655/Were-lucky-live-age-medical-miracles-What-desperately-need-health-care-service-match.html

Of course this isn’t a new problem. In my own work as a cancer specialist I have seen first hand the anguish of patients who just can’t get the drugs that may prolong their lives. The NHS can’t - or in some case won’t - pay for them.

Use carrots, not sticks, to get nurses to work OT

The Gazette
November 10, 2008
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=49379df3-8ea0-4cd1-945c-65312124f249

Last week Bolduc ordered nurses to keep working overtime, much of it involuntary. With a shortage of more than 2,000 nurses in the province, nurses’ overtime keeps growing, year by year. Last year, they worked nearly 2 million hours of overtime, costing hospitals an additional $62.5 million.

The Fraser Institute: Canadian Health Care System Riddled With Aging and Outdated Medical Technology

MarketWatch
November 10, 2008
http://www.marketwatch.co…

Canadian patients are enduring greater risks because the country’s health care system regularly employs aging and outdated medical technology, concludes a new report from independent research organization the Fraser Institute.

Too many patients, too few doctors

Toronto Star By Judy Steed
November 10, 2008
http://www.thestar.com/Atkinson2008/article/533870

Canada’s health-care system has just 216 geriatricians, one-fifth of those needed to treat an aging population.

Native health centre proposed

Lethbridge Herald By Gerald Gauthier
November 10, 2008
http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6395&Itemid=71

“What we’re proposing . . . is to institute a health centre of excellence for the general public. We feel that, because of some of the services that are lacking within the city of Lethbridge, that we would be able to provide them through the (Kainai) Health Centre of Excellence,” he said.

Canada’s Health System: a problem of supply

Western Standard By Hugh MacIntyre
November 9, 2008
http://westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2008/11/canadas-health.html

Canada suffers from a problem of supply. Of course it is not enough to merely say that. You need statistics to demonstrate that Canada has a smaller supply of medical goods and services than the United States. As the Fraser Institute would say, “If it matters, measure it.” And that is what Fraser Institute researcher Brett Skinner did for us.

U.K.’s Project Runaway

Government Health IT By Brian Robinson
November 7, 2008
http://www.govhealthit.com/blogs/ghitnotebook/350659-1.html

Recent reports have blamed the Labour government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown for unrealistic goals and timetables that have led to major delays in the National Programme for IT (NPFIT).

Insurance plan sparked controversy

The Vancouver Sun By Bill Bullis
November 6, 2008
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=357b72fa-63d4-4e73-b29a-3280b69d74a4

We’re not an organization that typically goes looking for controversy, but when our trial offering of medical access insurance made front-page news, we found ourselves in the middle of a passionate debate between those determined to defend universal public health care and those wanting a choice between public and private systems.

Getting involved in health care

The Amherst Daily News
November 6, 2008
http://www.amherstdaily.com/index.cfm?sid=187691&sc=61

While there are some who may want to sugarcoat things, Amherst and Cumberland County are on the verge of a physician crisis. That’s not good when you consider the area’s aging population and its hope to continue moving forward in terms of economic development.

A quiet revolution

The Times
November 5, 2008
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article5084131.ece

From now on, he said, “NHS care must never be withdrawn” when patients choose to top it up with treatments paid for privately because the NHS cannot or will not fund it. With those six words, the era of truly universal NHS care came to an end in principle as well as in practice.

Health care as ‘religion’ must end, top MD says

Ottawa Citizen By Charles Lewis
November 5, 2008
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=9385f071-b50e-4603-95fd-be57b568d23d

Canadians must stop thinking of public health care as a “religion” and open their minds to options to improve the system, the president of the Canadian Medical Association said this week.

Bed shortage so severe it’s ‘appalling’

Globe and Mail By Lisa Priest
November 5, 2008
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081105.EMERGENCY05/TPStory/National

The bed shortage in Vernon is so troubling that about 18,700 residents have signed a petition, demanding the province increase funding for acute-care beds, nurses to staff them and operating rooms, according to Antony Stamboulieh, spokesman for the Vernon and District Taxpayers Association. “The situation here has been appalling.”

Fraser Institute Hosts Discussion on Canada’s Health Care System and the Need for Reform

Market Wire
November 4, 2008
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/The-Fraser-Institute-916657.html

Despite substantial increases in health spending and federal cash transfers to the provinces, Canadian patients still wait longer for treatment compared to patients from almost anywhere in the developed world.

Healthcare professionals are being held back from providing quality care

Niagarathisweek.com
By Dorothy Turcotte
November 4, 2008 http://www.niagarathisweek.com/opinions/article/217328

At one time, quality health care in Canada was an accepted fact. In the past 20 years, though, governments have steadily cut back until we can no longer take our health care for granted. Each successive provincial and federal government has promised to improve the situation with more doctors, more nurses, more beds, less wait time. Yet it has never happened. We are headed the other way.

Five Myths About Health Care

Forbes By Sally C. Pipes
November 1, 2008
http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/10/31/obama-health-care-oped-cx_scp_1101pipes.html

Americans need only look abroad to see how poorly government delivers care. In my native country of Canada, more than 800,000 of the 33 million citizens currently languish on waiting lists for surgeries and other necessary treatments.

China’s class-ridden healthcare system

China WorkerBy Li He
November 1, 2008
http://chinaworker.info/en/content/news/539/

Medical costs now consume half of household incomes in China – more than 18 times the level in 1990 – because of insufficient health insurance. This compares with 16 percent of household incomes in Sweden, 15 percent in Japan and 11 percent in France.

MD calls for hybrid health care

Toronto Star
October 31, 2008
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/527816

However, instead of insisting on more of the same within our current system, it would be helpful to consider how more forms of private care could be integrated in a regulated way alongside public health care as is done in some European countries without the long wait times and lack of access that many patients experience here.

Are Canadians listening?

Times and Transcript By Charles W. Moore
October 30, 2008
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/464679

Truth is that while Canada’s single-payer system is certainly in dire straits, the U.S. system, notwithstanding its many faults, isn’t nearly as bad as its detractors contend, and performs almost as well (or poorly) as Canada’s at providing “effective” medical treatment for all.

Psychiatric wait times among worst in Canada

Calgary Herald By Gwendolyn Richards
October 30, 2008
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city/story.html?id=5c2a89f2-909c-4067-a767-49a61d943921

Patients seeking psychiatric treatment in Alberta are waiting longer to receive care than most other Canadians, says a new report from the Fraser Institute.

Health-care spending ‘unsustainable’: Report

Canada.com
October 29, 2008
http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=91aaed79-6ad…

Soaring costs could force most provinces to spend more than 50 per cent of their revenue on health care by 2036, says a new report, which urges Canadians to consider alternatives to the status quo if they “want a sustainable, high-quality health-care system.”

Patient Satisfaction with Healthcare Systems: Do Different Funding Models Lead to Different Results?

MarketWatch
October 29, 2008
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Patient-Satisfaction-Healthc…

The U.S. and U.K. funding models are among the extremes of the funding paradigm in the Western world, yet consumer perceptions in terms of quality of care delivered are remarkably similar.

Despite Growing Spending, Canadians’ Health Status Only Middle of the Pack

MarketWatch
October 28, 2008
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Despite-Growing-Spending-Canadians-Health/story.aspx…

Canada has one of the highest total health-care expenditure levels-ranking 5th among comparator countries- yet it only ranks 10th on health outcomes among the leading countries in the world.

Rx For Health Care: Private Or Public?

Investor’s Business Daily
October 28, 2008
http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=150….

We know this is what many Americans think they want, but there are costs they need to consider before they vote. Socialized health coverage would leave them dependent on one monopoly insurer. If Medicare’s continued slide toward insolvency is any guide, it would lead to out-of-control costs and big tax hikes down the road. It also would choke off the incentives that make American health care, for all its faults, the world’s leading force for medical innovation.

Push to cut cancer treatment cost

The Press Association
October 27, 2008
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jWvyUGhDAr…

Revlimid, a once-a-day capsule, can extend the lives of patients with the deadly blood cancer multiple myeloma by nearly three years. It is already a standard treatment across Europe and used in more than 60 countries worldwide. But many UK patients look set to be denied the drug following new draft guidance from the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (Nice)

Canada’s medical inflexibility in danger of killing heath system

The Province By Alyson Lanfear
October 27, 2008
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/editorial/story.html?id=ae5002…

The main problem seems to be the Medical Council of Canada. The doctor shortage is only one example of an inadequate health-care system in need of radical reform. Five million Canadians are without a family doctor and the doctor/patient ratio is amongst the worst of any industrialized country. Canada is last among G8 countries in physician supply.

Creeping NHS Privatization in North West under Scrutiny, England

Medical News Today
October 26, 2008
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/126819.php

Creeping privatization of the NHS - with knock-on adverse effects for patients - is on the march in the Greater Manchester area. Unite, the country’s largest union, has warned.

Cancer care is a symptom of NHS’s ills

Yorkshire Post By Sheena Hastings
October 24, 2008
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/Cancer-care-is-a-symptom.4626646.jp

The NHS is fraught with issues whose solutions can’t meet everyone’s needs. All the big problems are reflected in cancer care, one of our top oncologists tells Sheena Hastings.

Our system is flawed

Newnan Times-Herald
October 24, 3008
http://www.times-herald.com/opinion/Our-system-is-flawed-574764

If you think government-run health care is a good idea, talk to people from the UK or Canada and you might change your mind. I am currently uninsured, and I do not think it is the government’s place to force everyone to pay higher taxes for me to have coverage.

Just a tenth of NHS surplus would give expensive cancer drugs to all, charity claims

Telegraph.co.uk By Kate Devlin
October 23, 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/…

Giving expensive, life-prolonging cancer drugs to all patients who need them would cost just one tenth of the NHS’s spare cash, according to a charity. Ministers insist that drugs have to be rationed to make the best use of limited health service funds.

Affordable health care

Washington Times By Walter E. Williams
October 22, 2008
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/22/afforda…

The Vancouver-based Fraser Institute’s annual publication, “Waiting Your Turn,” reports Canada’s median waiting times from a patient’s referral by a general practitioner to treatment by a specialist, depending on the procedure, averages from five to 40 weeks. The wait for diagnostics, such as MRI or CT, ranges between four and 28 weeks.

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