Sixty-three per cent of those polled said they would be willing to "pay out of pocket" to gain faster access to medical services for themselves or their family members.
It also showed that 55 per cent of Canadians agree with the Supreme Court decision that they should have the right to buy private health insurance if the public system cannot provide medical services in a timely fashion.
Seventy-three per cent of those surveyed believed that the ruling was a step toward creating a two-tiered health-care system in the country.
Of course, looking at the poll itself:
- The first question is an entirely intuitive answer, but the fact that people are willing to pay large sums of money to cut to the front of the line is precisely the reason why private funding makes the system more expensive, and why single-payer health care is the only system that can provide reasonable care for every Canadian. Try asking the question, "Would you mind having a wealthier person cut ahead of you on a health-care waiting list?" and we'll see how committed people are to the two-tiered system.
- The second question relies on the premise that "the public health system cannot provide services in a timely fashion". It ignores the fact that the public system can provide services in a timely fashion when properly funded.
- And finally, the third is descriptive rather than normative - it doesn't ask whether those polled actually want a two-tiered system, simply whether they believe the decision was a step in that direction. (And of course the result reflects the media's pro-two-tier coverage since the decision was handed down.)
The blitz is on from both sides in the health-care war. We need to make sure disinformation like Pollara's poll doesn't become the conventional wisdom.
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