Issued the following announcement on Jan. 13.
Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06) has told voters in numerous forums that he believes the nation should move forward with a universal health care system. The freshman Democrat has even gone so far as to say, “we have the worst health outcomes than every other country that has universal health care.”
The model of health care Casten aspires to is similar to the Canadian health care system.
Voters may want to take a look at a report from Canadian policy think tank, the Fraser Institute, that highlighted some of the outcomes of a government-run health care system like the one Casten advocates.
Not only is Canada’s health care system among the most expensive, its performance is modest to poor. Specifically, Canada’s wait time for necessary treatment is inordinately high. According to the report:
- Specialist physicians surveyed report a median waiting time of 20.9 weeks between referral from a general practitioner and receipt of treatment— up from 19.8 weeks in 2018.
- This year’s median wait time is 124% longer than in 1993, when it was just 9.3 weeks.
- Across the 10 provinces, the total number of procedures for which people waited in 2019 is 1,062,286.
“Public policy impacts your life and the lives of your family members,” said Jeanne Ives, candidate for Congress (IL-06). “It’s important to look at how systems have performed historically so we know how changes will likely impact our lives. Sean Casten’s government-run health care model has been tried and has failed the people of Canada, some of whom are waiting 20 weeks for necessary services. Considering the results, are you sure you want to buy into the government takeover of health care that he is pushing?
“I say, if you like your doctor, you should be able to keep your doctor; and, if you like your health insurance, you should be able to keep your health insurance.”