The End of the Third Way

" The collapse of the Soviet Union discredited communism as a
political and economic system. Now the same is happening for several
versions of the socialist "Third Way" between communism and
capitalism...

I can't remember a time when Canada's socialized medical system
wasn't held up as an ideal that America must emulate. Now the massive
waiting lists and poor service provided by that system have prompted
Canada's Supreme Court to break the state's health-care monopoly,
leading to a new rebirth of private medicine and medical insurance
north of the border."

- Commentary by Robert Tracinski, editor www.TIADaily.com


"Canada Inches Toward Private Medicine,"
Rebecca Cook Dube, Christian Science Monitor, August 8

"Canadians have long prized their public healthcare system as a
reflection of national values, and have looked askance at the
inequities of private medical care in the United States.

But now that the Canadian Supreme Court has ruled private health
insurers should be allowed to compete with the public system, the
future of Canadian healthcare is a question mark....

Some experts believe the ruling could eventually spawn a parallel,
private healthcare system here.... Dr. Albert Schumacher, president
of the Canadian Medical Association [says,] 'I hope it will move us
forward in the debate. "Private" has always been used by politicians
as a very evil word, associated with America and for-profit. But it's
not necessarily so.'...

"The man who sparked this revolution was often dismissed as a gadfly
during the years he spent fighting the system. Dr. Chaoulli once went
on a hunger strike to protest fines levied on him for charging fees.
Chaoulli represented himself in court, and his rough yet impassioned
arguments struck home with the court. 'I am so happy,' Chaoulli
says. 'Sooner or later, the medical monopoly will be stopped.'

He predicts the emergence of a private healthcare system existing
alongside the public one, as in Australia or New Zealand. Meanwhile,
he is busy lecturing conservative US groups about the dangers of
socialized medicine.

'Libertarians and conservatives do regard him as a hero,' says
Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato
Institute in Washington, a libertarian think tank. 'He's going to be
a very influential figure moving forward in Canada, in the US, and
abroad.' Cannon hopes Chaoulli's victory dampens the ardor for
Canadian-style healthcare in the US."

Full article:

http://tinyurl.com/crsgv

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