US-. president Obama has begun the process of revamping the U.S. health care system, mit dem Ziel, providing health insurance for the millions of uninsured Amerikaner — a goal that, zumindest theoretisch, Kanada hat bereits erreicht. Nach Health Canada:

Canada’s national health insurance program, often referred to as “Medicare,” is designed to ensure that all residents have reasonable access to medically necessary hospital and physician services, on a prepaid basis.

Allerdings, the most vexing aspect of the Canadian health care system — to newcomers and long-time residents alike — may be the often-lengthy wait times for services. Wie der CBC berichtet, “Long waits for diagnostic tests, access to specialists and some surgeries seit langem at the heart of complaints about the failings of Canada’s health-care system.”

So what’s a country to do?

Machen Sie es wie die Französisch zu tun, sagt Globe and Mail Kolumnist Lysiane Gagnon:

In Kanada, people keep exchanging horror tales about how long they had to wait in emergency wards or for an operation or even for a doctor’s appointment. It’s a common topic of conversation. In Frankreich, a country I know well, waiting times is a subject no one talks about, for the simple reason that people are cared for without delay.

Gelegentlich, obwohl, my French friends do complain about their health-care system. They say it has deteriorated. Ein Freund, zum Beispiel, recently told me that “we no longer can call doctors at their home on the weekend, and house calls are difficult to get.” To a Canadian ear, this sounds like a description of paradise.

Gagnon cites World Health Organization statistics indicating that among the countries with the best overall health performance, Frankreich war keine. 1, während Kanada war der 30. und den USA. 37th.

If you’re neue nach Kanada, and you’re trying to decipher the Canadian health care system, bitte zuerst diese comparison of international health care systems sowie Health Canada website.

Foto © Carolyn B. Heller