some canadian news

The Canadian Medical Association supported a resolution saying that patients should be able to use private health insurance if they can't get necessary medical care quickly enough. This sounded like very big news; however, when I read the whole article, it seems a little less so.

President-elect Dr. Ruth Collins-Nakai disputed that the medical association is endorsing private health care, as critics have charged.

The primary concern of physicians of Canada is that patients have timely access to quality care based on need, not ability to pay, said Collins-Nakai, a pediatric cardiologist in Edmonton.

Every resolution passed reflected the frustration of physicians not being able to provide that timely access to care that they so want for their patients, she said.

"Delegates have said clearly that they believe the best solution is to provide that type of access is through a public health-care system," she added.

Doctors have also adopted a list of "benchmark wait times," she noted. The list puts limited on how long patients should have to wait for key medical services such as cardiac care, cancer treatment or MRIs.

Nakai-Collins noted the motion on private health insurance that passed today merely reflects a recent Supreme Court decision, which upheld the right of Quebecers to turn to private health insurance if the public system fails them.

But she added: "Our feeling is that if the public system fails to provide timely care, then patients need to have alternatives.

"And one of those alternatives may be the private sector," she said, stressing the word 'may'.

Thoughts?

In a story from ALPF (thanks, buddy!), I learned how David Wilkins, the new US Ambassador to Canada, got his job. The answer won't shock you. Indeed, it's the American way. Globe and Mail story here.