As Americans look toward a government-funded health care option, much has been made in recent weeks of the Canadian health care system and how it may–or may not–serve as a model for the future of health care here. Conservative pundits have made a sport of dragging the Canadian health care system through the mud, warning of high cost, wait times and limited choice. But with so many Canadians taking pride in their health care, can it be all that bad?

Here are three of the Right’s major gripes about the Canadian system, and the truth about health care in the Great White North.

Cost:

Perhaps the biggest Republican argument against health care reform is its cost. By some estimates, the Obama plan could cost American taxpayers up to $1.6 trillion over the next decade, even as the deficit grows to record highs. If the program passes, Conservatives worry that the government will need to increase taxes exponentially to pay for the high cost of public health care.

Data from the Canadian government tells a different story. According to a recent report by The Seattle Times, the Canadian health care system accounts for just 10 to 11 percent of the country’s GDP, compared to 17 percent in the US.  Some estimates suggest Canada may pay up to 50 percent less for health care.  For an economy with a GDP topping $14 trillion, that could mean almost $1 trillion in savings by the American government and American households.

Pundits like Glenn Beck have suggested that American families will need to buy private insurance which will just add to the prohibitively high tax hikes that the system will require. While it is true that Canadians fund universal health care with tax rates that are 10 percent higher than here in the US, the vast majority save money on expensive private health care premiums. Health care providers sometimes struggle to raise the funds necessary to meet patient demands, but said one Canadian physician, “As many of us know all too well, there’s also constant tension between what patients want and what private insurers are willing to pay. At least when it’s in government hands, we can demand some accountability.”

Government Regulation:

Despite the fact that President Obama is not advocating a Canadian-style universal health care scheme, his opponents have relished in recounting the pitfalls of the Canadian system. In an recent television commercial, Canadian Shona Holmes says that the government waiting-list almost killed her after doctors discovered a cyst on her pituitary gland. In an editorial entitled “Don’t destroy American health care system: Canadians need it,” Holmes calls government interference into health care a “poison pill,” and she says that hers is by no means an isolated incident.

Striking back at Holmes and the American media’s trashing of the Canadian health care system, The Vancouver Sun published a scathing editorial Tuesday in support of government-funded care. The Sun applauds the government for guaranteeing health care for all Canadians, providing world-class acute care and doing it all for just 48 percent of America’s costs. Although they admit that the system has its flaws–wait times, shortages of general physicians, etc.–they do not understand the Conservative logic that profit-driven insurers should be at the helm. Since health lobbyists contribute so heavily to politicians, they ask, is there really a significant difference anyway?

Quality of Care:

Holmes has become somewhat of a Joe the Plumber for the health care debate–a hardworking, innocent victim of big government. As with every system, it is true that some Canadians sadly fall through the cracks, but it seems that Canadians are generally healthier than their American counterparts. Although the United States spends more on health care per person than any other country in the world, America’s health care system ranks in the 30s, along with countries like Cuba. Canada ranks within the top 10. Life expectancy for both men and women in Canada is 3 years longer than it is in the States, and infant mortality rates are 1.3 percent lower.

Conservatives have also concerned themselves with tales of long waiting periods for treatment. There is no denying that Canadians are sometimes forced to wait weeks for treatment for nonthreatening ailments–that’s why wealthier Canadians make the trip down to the lower 48 for immediate care–but emergency treatment is reliable and free. Because patients have the freedom to choose their own doctors, this also means longer waiting times for the most popular physicians.

Although the health care scheme currently being debated on the Hill will have little resemblance to the Canadian system, it is worth noting that most Canadians like their government-run health care. And while some Canadians grumble about waiting times and might prefer a private option, they appreciate not having to worry about medical bills sending them into economic ruin.

photo credit: Ian Muttoo’s Flickr photostream (Creative Commons)