Was Douglas Ahead of His Time – Our Time?

There is a curious contention among conservatives (republicans) that Tommy Douglas ruined Saskatchewan…and that his powerful influence injured Canada.

Astonishing though this claim maybe and though vitriolic these political charges are, scientific studies are more objective and ultimately revealing in putting the infamous Mr. Douglas to the test and learning of the character of those who slander him.

(Well, why not start at the top.) Take, for instance, the mother of all blunders – Medicare.

This cost Douglas his job in Saskatchewan in 1962 when the U.S. and Canadian Medical professions led a strike to stop Medicare. Though the legions of free enterprise medicine failed at that time, their dutiful minions have worked tirelessly to end this scourge and with Klein in Alberta, Campbell in B.C. and Paul Martin in Ottawa. Thanks to the hard work of these and others, Medicare is now on life-support with the plug about to be pulled.

Finally…Canadians will get the care they deserve – an American-style health care system.

Following is the conclusion of a scientific report from researchers at Harvard Law School and Harvard Medical School detailing the wisdom of this action…word-for-word in its entirety…

“Medical Bills Leading Cause of Bankruptcy, Harvard Study Finds” February 3, 2005

Illness and medical bills caused half of the 1,458,000 personal bankruptcies in 2001, according to a study published by the journal Health Affairs .

The study estimates that medical bankruptcies affect about 2 million Americans annually -- counting debtors and their dependents, including about 700,000 children.

Surprisingly, most of those bankrupted by illness had health insurance. More than three-quarters were insured at the start of the bankrupting illness. However, 38 percent had lost coverage at least temporarily by the time they filed for bankruptcy.

Most of the medical bankruptcy filers were middle class; 56 percent owned a home and the same number had attended college. In many cases, illness forced breadwinners to take time off from work -- losing income and job-based health insurance precisely when families needed it most.

Families in bankruptcy suffered many privations -- 30 percent had a utility cut off and 61 percent went without needed medical care.

The research, carried out jointly by researchers at Harvard Law School and Harvard Medical School, is the first in-depth study of medical causes of bankruptcy. With the cooperation of bankruptcy judges in five Federal districts (in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas) they administered questionnaires to bankruptcy filers and reviewed their court records.

Dr. David Himmelstein, the lead author of the study and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard commented: "Unless you're Bill Gates you're just one serious illness away from bankruptcy. Most of the medically bankrupt were average Americans who happened to get sick."

Today's health insurance policies -- with high deductibles, co-pays, and many exclusions -- offer little protection during a serious illness. Uncovered medical bills averaged $13,460 for those with private insurance at the start of their illness. People with cancer had average medical debts of $35,878.

"The paradox is that the costliest health system in the world performs so poorly. We waste one-third of every health care dollar on insurance bureaucracy and profits while two million people go bankrupt annually and we leave 45 million uninsured" said Dr. Quentin Young, national coordinator of Physicians for a National Health Program.

"With national health insurance ('Medicare for All'), we could provide comprehensive, lifelong coverage to all Americans for the same amount we are spending now and end the cruelty of ruining families financially when they get sick."

Pardon me, but this is exactly what Mr. Douglas was saying long before 1944. This study, in 2005, by the most prestigious university in the United States finds, without equivocation, that Mr. Douglas was not only right but was a visionary – not just ahead of his time, but ahead of this time.

While Klein, Campbell, Martin and other “leaders” joyfully murder Medicare to satisfy those who would capitalize on human misery, the Americans are seeing the light.

Tommy Douglas, voted The Greatest Canadian by Canadians of all political stripes and ages in 2004, was guided by the principles of concern for human well being.

One does not have to wonder what his conservative (republican) detractors motives are. They are in favour of money – mostly for themselves and are quite willing to ruin all the lives necessary to achieve that. They purport support for Medicare while destroying it. And if they can be so completely wrong about Medicare how sound is their judgement on other matters of import and what does this say about their character?

----- John Nolan

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