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Show SEPTEMBER 16, 1994 PAGE 12 ne DIALOGUE ON INTERMOUNTAIN HEALIN CARE Hee A CARE © Is Canadian-Style Health Care Right for Americans? Critics question the govern- ments ability to control costs—in health care or in other areas of government spending. They question the apparent simplicity of the single-payer approach and foresee a sprawling and inefficient government bureaucracy. Most of all they question gov- STEVE KOHLERT SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTH CARE ernments commitment to ongress is now in the thick of give-and-take negotiations over the shape of national maintaining the quality of health care and predict obsolete technology, long waiting health care reform legislation. You can picture the collective eyes of the American public lines for specialty care and some 14 percent of the U.S. economy. The question is: Are these spending differences the result of a more efficient health system, or do they reflect basic differences between the populations and economies of the US. and Canada? Consider the following: & Population. Canada has one-tenth the population of the United States. Canadians are healthier as a ing to many observers (both Canadian and American). Many U.S. citizens would be shifted more of the burden from the federal government to its provinces, instituted user unwilling to wait fees, curtailed ser- weeks or months for major surgery, and many would be forced to pay higher taxes to support a singlepayer system. Quality and innovation. Americans insist on the best. glazing over as the media vices, and eliminat- ed coverage of some ¢ EUCAAONOIIN immigrant groups. STATOR health care services These actions illustrate what many consider the greatthe government can est weakness of a - afford to prov single-payer system: as the economy shrinks, so do the health care services the government can afford to provide. report the details of the latest “plan of the week.” The Our OpporTUNITY process of hammering out consensus on such a vast and complex field as health care is In my opinion, we in the U'S. are in the process of creating a exasperating to both insiders new, uniquely American come will have a direct personal impact on all of us. free-market approach where health organizations compete approach to health care—a and outsiders. Yet the out- on the basis of price and quality. Such a system puts the needs of the individual consumer first, even as spending is reduced and quality continues to improve. In crafting No wonder, then, that apparently simple solutions have tremendous appeal to many who are weary of the debate. One such approach is govern- ment-run, Canadian-style American-style health care, we health care—also known as a “single-payer system” because the government pays most of the bills. Polls show this approach has been consistently rejected by most Americans, have the opportunity to import the best features of the Canadian system—nearly universal access to basic health services—while avoiding cumbersome and expensive government bureaucracy. yet advocates of the “Canada plan” are again pushing it hard. other consequences of overt Advocates of the single-payer system believe you can control costs and guarantee access most effectively by estab- lishing total government control over health care. Private insurance is virtually eliminated—the government becomes the ® arts DIUM CAST Cena ed eras similar to ours. nation’s insurance company. rationing. Physicians and hospitals are paid by the government according to set rates. All citizens would have access to the same level of covered services. Lower Costs? Health care spending is lower in Canada compared to in the United States. For exam- ple, in 1991, per capita health care spending (in group and use fewer health care resources. For example, according to some estimates, Canadians have 20 percent less heart disease than Americans. Many experts question whether a Canadian-style system could handle the health care needs of the massive U.S. population, concentrated in heavily urbanized regions. American dollars) was $1,915 in Canada versus $2,868 in the U.S. Health care spending accounts for about 9 percent of the Canadian economy versus The U.S. leads the world in health care quality improvement, in medical research, and in the development and use of new technologies and pharmaceuticals. Countries like Canada that have nationalized health care are If you have a question related to health care, please call or write. THC DIALOGUE ON HEALTH CARE 36 South State Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 1-800-889-3337 enjoying a “free ride” on the research investment of the US., critics say. While Canada’s health care Cultural differences. Canadians tend to be more trusting of government and more willing to “queue” or line up for services, accord- spending is less than spending in the U.S., Canada’s expenditures have increased at rates similar to ours. In response to spiraling costs, Canada has “ia IHC INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTH CARE |