The Canadian Healthcare System

Simply stated, we at Choice® Medical Services promote, support and believe in the Canadian Healthcare System. Medicare, as it was originally known, is a cornerstone of Canadian society, it defines us as a nation and sets us apart from our American cousins. Championed by Premier Tommy Douglas, Canada's universal healthcare program was first enacted in Saskatchewan in 1961 and quickly spread to the rest of the county. The original purpose of the Medicare was to provide all Canadians with access to basic medical care and to prevent financial hardships on families due to illness.

Over the years, Canada's healthcare system has become inefficient, overburdened and a source for political wrangling by all parties at all levels of government. The biggest reason for the healthcare crisis in Canada is not because of bureaucratic wastage, it is because Medicare has been an unqualified success for all Canadians!
Through out the past 50 years, Canadians have benefited from advances in both medical and pharmaceutical care. This has resulted in a population that lives longer and enjoys a better quality of life. Five decades ago, people who suffered from diseases such as degenerative joint conditions, (knees and hips), could do little more than cope with the pain and be restricted to the simplest of activities. Today, it is not uncommon for a person to under go multiple replacement procedures in order to maintain an active lifestyle well into their 60's, 70's and beyond. These are the types of procedures that Medicare was never designed to support and yet somehow it has.

The other key influence impacting Medicare is Canada's aging population. The largest and most celebrated segment of our population, the "Baby Boom Generation", has just reached their 60th birthday. The sheer numbers of this group will bear unprecedented weight upon an already over burdened medical system and only add to the cost and wait times. To compound the problem even further, as the "boomers" age, they will be removing themselves from the workforce through retirement and thus eliminating a source of tax revenue.
As Canadians, we must continue to remind ourselves, that healthcare in Canada is NOT free, it is a service that is paid for by the Canadian tax payer. Currently 43 cents out of every tax dollar goes to pay for healthcare in this country. Our choice is simple, either we pay higher taxes, wait longer times to access medical treatment or find an alternative self directed healthcare options.

Canada is not alone in this medical dilemma. Countries who support a universal healthcare system are now realizing they can no longer afford these programs. In 2006 over 100,000 British patients traveled to India to have surgeries performed. Today, thousands of Canadians travel south to the United States to pay for medical services that would normally have been performed in Canada. There Canadian patients find shorter waiting times but along with their American counterparts face astronomical costs for these procedures.

Choice Medical Services strongly believes that there is a safe, effective and more affordable alternative for all North Americans seeking medical care. We are proud to partner with the Cuban medical system to provide real solutions for the healthcare issues here in North America. We urge you to investigate the Cuban medical system to learn more about their healthcare and the cutting edge developments in medical procedures that Cuba has to offer.