The debate in Canada is getting more interesting. One of the laws here is that private insurers are not allowed to compete with the government insurance, they are only allowed to offer extended insurance beyond what government programs cover. For example, the government system does not, for most people, cover costs of prescriptions, thus I'm allowed to buy private insurance to cover that.
What this means is that, for anything government deigns to cover, most Canadians are effectively forced to endure rationed care (waiting lists) since they cannot afford to pay out of pocket for the treatment. Moreover, even if they have the means to pay it themselves, they are not allowed to use that money in Canada, but must go to the United States - it is against the law for any doctor or hospital to take cash directly from patients since that would be "jumping the queue".
However, the Supreme Court of Canada has just handed down a ruling recognizing that barring the purchase of private insurance for any health care, and by implication, the ability to get actual treatment privately, is a violation of rights. Technically this ruling currently only applies against the specific prohibition in the province of Quebec, but it has implications for all provinces and for the Canada Health Act.
This is a good step. The idea that one should be stopped from acquiring needed or desired treatment, or insurance for same, even though one is able and willing to pay for it, is an obscene violation of rights and is blatantly anti-life. People do suffer and even die here as a direct result of being forced to wait on government lists.
Everyone talks about throwing more government (tax) money at the problem to reduce waiting times. But the only way waiting lists will ever be siginificantly reduced is to introduce private competition. In a perfect chance timing, there are currently advertisements from a firm just south of the U.S. border explaining how the increasing popularity of their diagnostic services (MRI, etc) had pushed new appointments out to a full month. They have now acquired new equipment (the latest in technology) and were now able to again offer next day appointments to Canadian customers. This is a direct result of competitive forces in a free market - the competitive free market that most Canadians, and many others, continue to insist is, somehow, evil and to be avoided at all costs.
