Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky.
speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
The potential for long wait times for care is among the most persuasive arguments brought forward by opponents of health reform in America. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell slammed wait times for various treatments at Kingston General Hospital in Ontario, Canada. He claimed to provide “a glimpse… [into]… government-run health care [for] everyday Canadians and the long waits they routinely endure for care.”
Minority Leader McConnell is either poorly served by his research staff or intentionally misled the American people. A letter to the Senator from Dr. David Zelt, the Kingston Hospital chief of staff, debunks McConnell’s claims, and sets the record straight.
Just like in the United States, elective surgeries in Canada are scheduled according to the critical status of the patient’s condition. Those patients whose lives are threatened get immediate attention. Patients who can wait are channeled into three additional funnels depending on the seriousness of their ailment.
McConnell represented to the Senate that brain cancer is targeted to be treated within 90 days in Ontario. At Kingston General Hospital, the average wait for brain surgery is eight days, says Dr. Zelt. McConnell claimed that cardiac surgery patients might wait up to six months for an operation. In Ontario, the average wait time for cardiac bypass is 16 days. In the Washington area, my personal experience with bypass patients required a wait of more than 90 days.
To be fair to McConnell, elective surgeries happen sooner in America than in half of similar countries that offer universal health care to their citizens. This challenge is recognized by these countries and is being addressed. In Denmark, for example, surgeries that cannot be addressed internally within two months are outsourced to countries that can take prompt action.
The key variable in those countries where elective surgery waits are too long is a shortage of medical personnel. Canada has a problem in some places with a shortage of personnel. According to researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Canadians have only 2.1 physicians per 1000 population. America has 2.4 doctors per 1000 citizens, but the median number between reporting countries is 3.4 physicians per 1000 citizens.
The villain in long wait times seems to be a lack of doctors to do the work rather than a system of reform that insures all. Sen. McConnell should encourage his staff to dig deeper before he speaks.
Next: How long does it take to see your doctor in America?
As America searches for solutions leading to a reformation of its own health care system, knowing the successes and shortcomings of health care regimes in other developed nations will be essential in negotiating the most palatable and efficient design for all concerned. This series attempts to connect the dots and explode the talking points in hopes that the folks who actually have a vote might come to a conclusion.
Al Portner is a former daily newspaper editor and publisher in seven states and author of the forthcoming “Mark Twain and the Tale of Grant’s Memoir.” Portner is also the proprietor of The Assignment Desk, LLC and provides writers, editors, and photographers for numerous kinds of contract projects from proposals and speeches to public relations and journalism. Reach him at alanportner@gmail.com.
For more info:
Dr. Zelt's letter to Senator McConnell
Multinational Comparisons of Health Data
Corrective Action taken on long wait times in Europe
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