Chapter 3 Media Article

"Health Care Organizations Release Vision for System"
-Canada NewsWire December 14, 2005-

The current medicare system has always been a major topic for debate in federal elections, and surprisingly (despite many convincing promises and compromises), it is still as inefficient as it always has been. This inefficiency can be explained with Canada’s political legacy of equality – that is, everyone is treated equally. With that in mind, long lineups result for people waiting for surgeries. That is theoretically going to change after the upcoming federal election, however, as health care organizations press for reforms for our health care system. According to this article, reducing the wait times in hospital, increasing the number of health care personnels, and providing advanced medical technology in Canadian hospitals are what the health care organizations advocate. Since the Canadian medicare system is one of the utmost concerns Canadians have, all the major party leaders (Liberals, Conservatives, NDP) promise immediate reform for the benefits of Canadian citizens. However, such an intervention by the federal government can cause more harm than good on the economy, although such an intervention is necessary to ensure the survival of our political ideology (that is, the theory of equality).

Relation to Chapter 3:
Third-Party Effect (Negative),
Macro Economics (Government Intervention)

Apparently, “nothing in life is perfect”, and this statement holds truth for the new health care systems that party leaders are advocating. The new medicare system, with its increased expenses, will cost Canadian citizens more tax dollars - yet, this public service will not benefit all Canadian citizens. Since incomes for individuals will not be likely to raise rapidly over the next few months, raising taxes is a terrible idea that can cause detrimentally lasting scars upon the Canadian economy (people will have less money to spend on goods due to taxes; therefore, local economies will shrink and everyone will suffer). Therefore, the introduction of a new health care system actually brings a negative third-party effect to the Canadian economy. However, as mentioned previously, the intervention of government in the health care system is necessary to ensure equality among Canadian citizens. Perhaps with Alberta’s new-found wealth in the oil industry, Canadian government will finally be able to subsidize for the costly health care system that we long to enjoy.