Recently, The Salt Lake Tribune published commentary supporting the expansion of Medicare and a single-payer health care system. Unfortunately, single-payer’s track record abroad reveals that substandard care, long waiting lists and rationing are endemic to such systems.
Furthermore, people need to realize that health insurance is expensive because healthcare is expensive. Insurance will remain expensive whether private insurance companies are paying the claims or a single-payer is reimbursing providers for the claims.
In Canada, the median patient waits more than four months to receive treatment from a specialist after referral from his primary-care physician. More than 50,000 people left Canada last year to receive medical treatment — partially because of waiting lists.