Canadians Make Buffalo’s Health Care Industry Healthy

It’s nice to see a local company innovate its way to success.  It’s even nicer when they simultaneously prove the folly of looming, odious federal legislation.  Specifically, a local health provider has benefited from noticing that Canada’s health care system is often only universal on paper.  Henry L. Davis notes in a Buffalo News article that many of our nearby foreign neighbors would rather pay for medical attention across the border than get it at home for free.  Democraticare proponents should take note of the direction in which the patients are traveling:

 

Kaleida Health is one of the first American organizations actively seeking patients in Canada in response to a rise in cross-border traffic for medical care.

 

Taking advantage of a fortuitous location by targeting an ad campaign at an underserved market epitomizes what business is all about.  It’s true even regarding a not-for-profit charitable organization.  For example, a health provider adjacent to a land whose services don’t meet demand is naturally snapping up billboards in same underserved land:

 

The Kaleida ad campaign directs patients to a Web site geared to Canadian patients and focused on five areas: bariatric surgery for obesity, pediatrics, joint replacement and spine surgery, MRI and other radiology services, and such gastrointestinal services as colonoscopies to check for colon cancer.

 

And their government agrees. Looking southward isn’t just for individual sick Canadians:

 

To meet the demand for services in short supply across the border while maintaining some control over the quality and cost of the care in the U.S., Ontario in the last year began contracting with about 40 U.S. “preferred providers” in four areas of care that the province will approve for payment: bariatric or gastric bypass surgery, diagnostic imaging, residential treatment for behavioral problems and substance abuse, and cancer treatment for three costly therapies.

 

Does Ontario pay the patients’ tolls, too?  Either way, local hospitals would be seeing even more business from the True North if not for a deadly sin.  Hopefully, Canadians with untreated ailments will plan a visit before stubbornness impacts their well-being:

 

(Donald Boyd, Kaleida senior vice president of business development) said the ad campaign attempts to approach Canadians in a sensitive way, mindful of surveys that show Canadians overwhelmingly satisfied with basic health services. “Crossing the border is a difficult decision,” he said. “Canadians are nationalistic about and proud of their health system.” 

 

Boyd’s diplomatic phrasing is understandable; he wisely respects that people always want to appreciate their country’s institutions.  But there’s a reasonable limit.  For one, astute Americans who enjoy made-in-Canada options like Labatt Blue and Coffee Crisp should purchase the goods without hesitation.  Our provincial friends should apply the same beer and candy principle to their very well-being and go where they’ll be healed best.

 

The News article does point out a handful of supposed advantages of modifying the words “health care” with “government.”  Still, the shortcomings of the American system are largely in the “too much food” category:

 

Wait times have come to be viewed as a weakness of Canadian health care. However, the Canadian system is less expensive per capita than in the United States, while providing health coverage to every citizen.

 

One of the reasons is that it is slower to expand new treatments and tests that are adopted more quickly in the United States, where the overuse of unnecessary tests and treatments is exploding costs and raising quality issues.

 

We’re seeing how “providing health coverage to every citizen” is working out.  On top of that, it’s obviously more expensive to get better care.  Well-trained doctors using equipment beyond what could be imagined by Star Trek dorks will set you back.  Paying extra for fantastic treatments is justifiable if it means you can continue being healthy and alive.  In general, the best products are understandably more expensive for a reason.  You can’t get Johnnie Walker Black at Black Velvet prices.

 

Further, “unnecessary tests and treatments” are often a byproduct of lawsuit-fearing cautious doctors treating consumers who don’t pay bills directly.  We could lower costs for our premier services by capping malpractice awards and ending a system rigged so that employer-provided insurance essentially hides prices.  On top of that, we could let insurers compete across state lines.  Any of those changes would be preferable to attempting, and undoubtedly failing, to trim the budget by providing every American with equally crappy care.

 

Besides, the influx of health tourists shows what governments can’t provide.  The best thing about Kaleida’s practical counterargument to Democraticare is that it wasn’t planned by our political class.  Rather, a service provider saw a need and figured out how to address it.  This “free market” system could be revolutionary if only more people could learn about it.  And yet the president, a grating San Francisco radical, and a painfully stodgy Nevadan with rather quaint racial views are out to junk said business setup in general and our health delivery system in particular.

 

Tellingly, providing health care to unwell hosers is a booming local industry during the Great Recession.  Additionally, it’s flourishing in a state and region that is notoriously hostile to entrepreneurship.  But instead of letting Kaleida-type companies reap the economic benefits of helping people, Washington wants to restrict both efficient companies and the notion that we should strive to be responsible for our own health.

 

Our leaders should at least think of the Canadians: if Democraticare is forced down America’s throat, where will North North America’s residents get medical attention?  Flying to Cuba for treatment doesn’t seem wise, but at least they could get all the donkey meat they want.

Because Canadian Health Care Rocks…

This weekend I saw a commercial for Kaleida Health targeting Canadian residents. I’d never seen it before but it was certainly interesting to see a commercial telling Canadians that if they want fast, quality care, that they can simply go across the border, into America, to get the treatment they need.

I don’t remember the exact words used in the ad, but let’s look at the Kaleida website just for Canadians. Here’s what it says:

At Kaleida Health, we believe that providing compassionate, quality health care in a timely manner is the cornerstone of maintaining a healthy life. Our commitment to our patients is simple — when you need us we will be there. Expedient treatment is your right and it is our privilege to provide it.

Please note, that’s not my emphasis added.

Maybe we should ask, why, if government-run health care is so great, why would Canadians come down to America for treatment, and why would Kaleida Health see a need to market to Canadians who get government-run health care? Well, the Kaleida page answers that question.

Why should I pay for care when/if the Ministry of Health will pay?

There are a variety of procedures that either cannot be found in Ontario or the wait time is simply too long. Kaleida Health’s five hospitals provide an alternative so you can make your healthcare decision on your terms. It is not unlike the decision many of us make about elective cosmetic surgery, but in many cases there are more immediate improvements to your quality of life. So don’t wait if you don’t have to.

Unavailable health care… wait times too long… Gee, government-run health care sounds swell doesn’t it?

Okay, let’s be serious now. As Obama keeps trying to push government-run health care down our throats (and yes, it’s government-run health care, don’t pretend it’s not) we should be asking ourselves how it is working out in other countries that have it. Well, if Kaleida Health is telling Canadians that they can get better health care in America, quicker health care in America, or more health care options in America, maybe we shouldn’t be trying to emulate Canada’s health care system.

Just a thought.

Perhaps our local left-wingers who want Obamacare can start going to Canada for health care… if they think government-run health care is so great, they should put their money and their health where their mouth is.