Dead Meat (2005) Run Time: 24:45 P L A Y Windows Media Large   Small QuickTime 7 Large   Small I P O D Download the Apple iPod Video Version of Dead Meat!

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The Health Care Lies of Paul Krugman   - By Stuart Browning, Co-director Health Care Policy Blog

frequently asked questions

Why the focus on Canada? Doesn't our health care system here in the U.S. have its share of problems? The U.S. health care system is in desperate need of reform, however, the solution that some are proposing is a total government takeover of medicine inspired by the Canadian government-run health care system. Since most Americans know very little about medicine as practiced by our northern neighbor, our film is a warning to look before you leap. We think that many Americans would be surprised to know that Canada (like Cuba and North Korea) makes it illegal to purchase private healthcare for yourself or a loved one - and that the adoption of a so-called "single-payer" system would represent a major restriction of the freedoms that Americans now enjoy. Doesn't Canada spend less than the U.S. while getting better access to health care? Officially, Canada spends less on health care than the U.S. However, costs are controlled by arbitrarily limiting the number and availability of doctors, specialists, operating room hours, high-tech equipment, diagnostic tests, drugs and expensive treatments. In short, the government limits the supply of health care in order to hold costs down. The result: shortages, rationing, and long wait lists. Yes, but Canadians, on average, live slightly longer than Americans. Isn't this proof that their health care system is better? No, it's not. A nation's average life expectancy is the result of a multitude of factors including the lifestyles, genetic makeup, environment and education of it's citizens - and the U.S. is composed of large ethnic groups having differing life expectancies. For example, the average life expectancy of a black male in the U.S. is 68 years, while a man of asian descent has an average life expectancy of 81 years! The quality of a health care system has very little to do with the average life expectancy of an entire population - however, it has a lot to do with the the health outcomes of those who are already sick - and on that score, the U.S. does better than Canada. 25% of those diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. die from it - while the mortality ratio in Canada is 28%. Similarly, the U.S. prostate cancer mortality ratio is 19% while 25% of those diagnosed with prostate cancer in Canada die from it. A Canadian friend of mine boasts about their health care system. How does this square with what you're saying? Many Canadians who have never been really sick are supportive of their system. In fact, the system caters to the healthy majority with free primary care doctor appointments, flu shots, etc. while depriving the truly sick - often the elderly - of timely medical treatment that is often more expensive. Political expediency dictates that health care dollars are spent where the votes are: the healthy majority - while across Canada, hundreds of thousands of sick and disabled people quietly languish in pain in their homes on long waiting lists for treatment while being told that to question the moral supremacy of their health care system is somehow "Un-Canadian". Are you saying that ALL Canadians wait and don't get good medical care? No. Certainly there are pockets of excellence in the Canadian health care system - and not everyone waits. If a person is in the process of having a heart attack, they get immediate treatment. However, any treatment deemed 'elective' - meaning that possible death is not imminent - often entails a wait. Cancer biopsies, MRI scans, heart bypasses, cataract operations, and hip replacements all involve lengthy waits for many Canadians.