Anecdotes From Public Healthcare

Mark Steyn regularly reports on horror stories from the public health systems in the UK and Canada. He has another great one in the post linked below:

And Another Mopping Up Operation . . . - Mark Steyn - The Corner on National Review Online: "When we quote stories like these at NRO, we get a lot of e-mail saying these are just 'anecdotes.' And yes, if you look on yourself as being part of a government health system of millions of people, getting a bedsore and dying in hideous pain is no big deal in the scheme of things. But I look on myself as being part of the Mark Steyn health system. So if I get a bedsore and die, as far as I'm concerned, that's a 100% systemic failure. The difference between government health care and a private system is that, under the latter, you're free to say, 'This dump's filthy. I'm going to the state-of-the-art joint five miles up the road.' You may have to get out your checkbook, but ultimately the decisions are yours."

Mark Steyn has also written a health care piece in the current print edition of National Review. Choice, personal power over you own medical destiny, independence, freedom - these are what are lost when a society goes to public health care. Oh, and of course, quality of care, innovation, and excellence.