Who says Canada's health system is better?

My friend George S, for one. Of course, the last time George lived in Canada he was young-- I won't say how many years ago that was, but twern't yesterday. George believes in a single-payer system, and though he is otherwise the brightest and wisest, I can't seem to get through to him on this issue. He just loves the health care he received from the province of Ontario. T.R. Reid, who just authored a book on health care systems around the world, seems to agree with George. He must be young, too! To see & hear to his lecture on how bad US health care is and how good Canada is, click here.
Now comes an article in the LA Times ("In Canada...") about the problems that Canadians have in getting access to care in Canada. At issue is whether Canadian physicians can offer care outside the province-run health care system. The article gives examples of long wait times for such things as hip replacements (ooh, that one hits too close to home) or MRIs in British Columbia.
True to my research roots, I checked this out with friend Maria, who lives in BC and knows a lot about the health care system there. "Is this for real?" I asked via email? Here's her answer:

• "There are significant waits here for elective surgery and the situation with imaging is really quite bad. Interestingly, there is a private system for MRI's, so if you don't want to wait up to a year for one, you can legally get one privately (at about $800). Some people also opt for private cataract surgeries and this is done somehow legally. The current government in BC is "Liberal" but is curbing services in the face of budget deficits.

As a true Canadian, Maria remains optimistic and trusting:

• "Efforts are being made to reduce these wait times and despite the system's shortcomings, it is in my humble opinion a better one than exists in the US."

So, next time George wants to argue with me about single payer, I'm prepared with facts that will matter to him now that he's no longer one of those "young invincibles."