Canadians like their system

Based on her interview with one insurance broker, Sue Lani Madsen concluded in The Spokesman-Review on Aug. 13 that Canada’s health care system is a “tangled mess,” too. The only research she quoted to support this view was a working paper published nine years ago.

In stark contrast, Gerard W. Boychuk, a research fellow in Calgary, published a 234 page book, including 12 pages of references called “National Health Insurance in the U.S. and Canada” and reached a very different conclusion.

I recently had the opportunity to ask questions of the author and receive an update on his extensive work. He quoted from a new study done by the Canadian Medical Association that reported a full 70 percent of patients gave the system an A or a B grade, that costs have essentially stabilized and that the CMA continues to be very supportive.

The reality is, the vast majority of Canadians far prefer their system to ours, and we have a lot to learn from Canada. I know the S-R is capable of a much higher level of journalism than this, and I look forward to a much more comprehensive treatment of this important subject in the near future.

Cris Currie, RN

Spokane