Canadians wouldn’t trade

Regarding the Canadian health care system (Sue Lani Madsen’s Aug. 13 column and Steve McNutt’s Aug. 21 letter): I spend winter months in an Arizona snowbird community. Of the 2,500 or some residents staying during a given season, about 27 percent are Canadians.

I have spoken with hundreds of retired Canadians about their system. Many of them experience parts of the U.S. system as visiting Canadians, so they have a basis for comparison.

None of them would trade their universal single-payer system for ours, including health care delivery and the cost of prescription drugs. Yes, they acknowledge their tax system hits them harder than ours. And they freely admit that they don’t have access to elective surgical procedures as quickly as we do.

But they tell me their emergency care needs are met almost as quickly as with our system. The philosophy is that health care is a right, not a privilege.

I sponsored showing “The Healthcare Movie,” which included a follow-up discussion. The audience of about 150 was approximately half and half Americans and Canadians. The discussion substantiated my personal conversations.

Many U.S. folks were surprised with the movie’s comparison and the comments from their Canadian friends.

Thomas Mosher

Spokane