Approximately 90 percent of Democrats believe the government has a responsibility to guarantee healthcare for all Americans. We've heard it time and time again, from Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and his "Medicare for All" Act, to former President Obama and his term-defining "Affordable Care Act," the first step in moving toward a universal coverage system. There's no question that the healthcare system in the United States is far from perfect — but shifting to an entirely public, government-regulated system would be a full-scale catastrophe. There is no better example of this than Canada, and one Canadian citizen just made that undeniably clear for Americans.
In a video posted to TikTok, a Canadian woman living in the U.S. described Canada's failing universal healthcare system that is causing patients to die as a result of not being treated in a timely manner. "I don't think we are aware of what we are asking for," she said.
In Canada, emergency room doctors are warning that dangerously long wait times are becoming lethal. Nearly 200,000 ER patients waited over two days for a hospital bed. "We want universal healthcare until we learn that almost one million Canadians leave the emergency room before receiving care because the wait is too long," she said. She goes on to explain that the issue has gotten so bad that even Canadian healthcare experts are labeling the overcrowding a national emergency.
Beyond the ER, patients can expect to wait for about six and half months to receive treatment from a specialist after being referred by a general practitioner. Even worse, nearly six million Canadians do not have access to a family doctor, despite roughly 24 percent of Canadian tax dollars funding the healthcare system, while Canadians still pay for private insurance. As demand rises, Canada has fewer beds per person than most developed countries, at just 2.5 per 1,000 people, well below the OECD average of 4.5.
The list of problems goes on. Canada's healthcare system is failing, and citizens are forced into paying for it through taxes, all while paying out-of-pocket for private care. Now, imagine implementing this system in a country with a population 8.5 times that of Canada. Wait times would skyrocket, taxes would rise dramatically, and most citizens would still pay private costs for all the things that "universal" healthcare will not cover. Obamacare already previewed this. Surging premiums and tax rate hikes from Obamacare are causing immense strain on middle-class families, with a 14 percent median premium increase set for 2027. Do not fall for the Democrats' promise of "free" healthcare, or the emotional appeals that healthcare is a human right. Sure, America's healthcare system could use reforms — but "universal" coverage is not the answer.
