Dear editor,
Right now, there’s a legal attack before the courts that could turn Canada’s medicare system into a U.S.-style for-profit system.
The attack is driven by Dr. Brian Day, owner of a Vancouver for-profit surgical clinic, Cambie Surgery Centre, known for unlawfully billing patients and the taxpayer-funded Medical Services Plan.
If Dr. Day wins this case, we’ll lose the public health-care system that we all rely on. We’ll be like the United States where it costs the average family $16,000 a year. I can’t afford that on my retirement income!
Most Canadians don’t want to see a system in Canada where we risk losing our homes or go deep in debt when we or our loved ones get sick or injured.
Poll after poll shows that Canadians favour investment and innovation in public health care to improve the system for everyone, not the expansion of for-profit health care that benefits only the wealthy elite.
Public health reform should start with looking at what makes a community healthy and how this will save medical dollars, not going for an American-style private health-care system. Let’s focus on strengthening our treasured system.
Medicare is ours to protect. Contact your MP and MLA, let them know what you think.
Go to www.savemedicare.ca for more information.
Cliff Boldt,
Courtenay