Cambie Case Update
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
Dear Paov --
The BC Health Coalition’s work to defend our public health care system from legal attack by Dr. Brian Day and private clinic Cambie Surgeries has seen a flurry of activity in recent weeks. Here is a recap of what we have been up to, both inside and outside the courtroom.
1. Health policy expert testifies in defence of public health care in Cambie case
Public health expert Dr. David Himmelstein, M.D. took the stand in the Cambie case to offer a comparative analysis of the US and Canadian health care systems. Dr. Himmelstein, the second expert witness brought by our intervenor group, is a well-respected health policy professor at City University of New York School of Public Health and lecturer in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Himmelstein has studied the impacts of for-profit healthcare and private insurance in the U.S. for decades.
Dr. Himmelstein’s evidence went to the heart of Cambie Surgeries’ central claims, and refuted the deceptions relied on by Cambie in an attempt to prove their case. He testified to the overall societal costs to health care if Cambie Surgeries’ legal attack against the public health care system were to be... successful. Dr. Himmelstein gave evidence on the dangers of introducing private insurance into single-payer health care systems such as Canada’s, and the risks of allowing for-profit healthcare organizations to operate.
2. BC Health Coalition experts debunk myth that private clinics and for-profit health care decrease wait times
We hosted an in-depth conversation
with Dr. Steffi Woolhandler and Dr. Himmelstein, two of our experts in
the Cambie case. They drew on their expertise in the American private
health care system, where access to and quality of health care is
greatly unequal, and wait times can be very
long.
Watch a video of the experts’ talk. Know friends or family who would be
interested in this fascinating look into the U.S. system? Share now.
The
experts’ knowledge provided critical insights debunking the claims
made by Dr. Day and Cambie Surgeries that allowing private clinics and
for-profit health care reduces wait times. As both doctors explained,
introducing private health care options into single-payer systems like
Canada’s does not decrease wait times for medical procedures. Rather,
research shows that:
-
The two-tier health care system
has substantial wait times,
especially for those who are unable to pay extra; -
Doctors work the same number of hours regardless of whether
it is in the private or public health care system; -
Private health care results in
unequal and insufficient care
because the decisions to schedule patients are based on
potential profits over need.
Closing arguments are scheduled through the Fall with the case expected to wrap up by the end of the year. We’ll keep you posted with updates and invitations to attend court. Thank you for your continued support and attention to this case that has such profound impact on one of our most cherished public services.
In Solidarity,
Edith MacHattie,
Co-Chair of the
BC Health Coalition
British Columbia Health Coalition · 3102 Main St, 302,
Vancouver, Unceded Coast Salish Territories, BC V5T 3G7, Canada
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