Toronto Star: Profit takes precedence over reform

[marmar]

Profit takes precedence over reform
Aug 11, 2009 04:30 AM

Linda McQuaig


With the American right poised to derail yet another attempt to bring public health care to the United States, Canada has been dragged in for a disturbing cameo role.

By any reasonable measure, our health-care system is stellar compared to theirs, yet ours has been cast as the scary bad guy to serve as a cautionary tale to those who consider it urgent to provide health-care coverage to the 47 million Americans without it.

In TV ads broadcast across America, Canadian Shona Holmes says she would have died of a brain tumour if she'd relied on the Canadian health-care system rather than heading to the U.S. for treatment.

Dramatic stuff, but not quite true. She did have a cyst in her brain, but it wasn't life-threatening – a fact exposed last month by Julie Mason in the Ottawa Citizen. (This should clear up any misunderstanding about Canadian health care for the millions of Americans who read the Ottawa Citizen.)

If there's a lesson to be learned from the sorry spectacle of the U.S. health-care debate, it's never to underestimate the determination of the right to block even the most desperately needed reforms. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/679099

[NightWatcher]

1. Money trumps, well umm, peace sometimes.......I guess it trumps life as well

Money is a tool that entices and facilitates the avaricious.

Money is Evil