This has been a staple of the healthcare debate for a long time, so it’s not as if we haven’t been warned. But today the Washington Post reports that in certain regions, waiting times to see a doctor in Canada are getting completely out of hand:
Just six months ago, the clinic delivered same-day care to most callers, the gold standard from a health perspective. But in October the delays crept to four days, then 19 in November and 25 in December. In January, HealthServe temporarily stopped accepting new patients, and almost immediately 380 people put their names on a waiting list for when the crunch eases.
Sorry. Did I say Canada? I meant North Carolina, of course, where more than a quarter of adults now have no health insurance:
A steep rise in unemployment has fueled a commensurate increase in the number of people who do not have health insurance, including many middle-income families.
“I used to be upper middle class,” said Amy, who called HealthServe every morning for weeks before getting in to see Talbot…. “I haven’t told anyone I’m coming here,” she said, asking that her last name be withheld because she is embarrassed to be seeking discounted medical care.
Best healthcare in the world, baby!
