A few days ago, I wrote an post on single-payer healthcare and today, I want to focus on one of the main attacks used where people claim that Canadians are "fleeing". So are they and are they abnormally fleeing.
Well a look at the raw numbers first shows that slightly more Canadians leave their countries every year, compared to Americans, "0.13 percent of Canadians and 0.08 percent of Americans who flee their countries for health care"[1].
While this number seemingly confirms the attack that Canadians are "fleeing". Upon closer thought, this arguments seems shaky. I mean "82.99% of the Canadian population lives in counties 100 miles or less from the American border"[2]. Compared to just, " 9.06% of the US population lives in counties 100 miles or less from the Canadian border"[2]. Considering that about 83% of the Canadian population lives near the American border 0.13 percent of Canadians leaving, means that Canada does not have a bunch of people fleeing for healthcare. And the people who leave, most likely are leaving due to the rationing of care based on need, so the people who do leave end up leaving to get a voluntary procedure done a bit quickly. This is of course compared to the USA, where just 9% of our population lives by the Canadian border and yet 0.08% of our population leaves to get healthcare, while not a huge number it does raise the question, if our free-market healthcare is so great, why are people leaving. We know the poor aren't leaving, they can't afford healthcare, let a alone a plane ticket.
[1]: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/02/americans-flee-america-overseas-health-care-just-canadians
[2]: http://polistuff505.blogspot.com/2017/02/what-percentage-of-canadas-and-americas.html
Well a look at the raw numbers first shows that slightly more Canadians leave their countries every year, compared to Americans, "0.13 percent of Canadians and 0.08 percent of Americans who flee their countries for health care"[1].
While this number seemingly confirms the attack that Canadians are "fleeing". Upon closer thought, this arguments seems shaky. I mean "82.99% of the Canadian population lives in counties 100 miles or less from the American border"[2]. Compared to just, " 9.06% of the US population lives in counties 100 miles or less from the Canadian border"[2]. Considering that about 83% of the Canadian population lives near the American border 0.13 percent of Canadians leaving, means that Canada does not have a bunch of people fleeing for healthcare. And the people who leave, most likely are leaving due to the rationing of care based on need, so the people who do leave end up leaving to get a voluntary procedure done a bit quickly. This is of course compared to the USA, where just 9% of our population lives by the Canadian border and yet 0.08% of our population leaves to get healthcare, while not a huge number it does raise the question, if our free-market healthcare is so great, why are people leaving. We know the poor aren't leaving, they can't afford healthcare, let a alone a plane ticket.
[1]: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/02/americans-flee-america-overseas-health-care-just-canadians
[2]: http://polistuff505.blogspot.com/2017/02/what-percentage-of-canadas-and-americas.html
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