A free lunch isn’t really free. I recall during last year’s primary campaign season watching a Hillary Clinton “town hall meeting” style campaign effort on TV. One gentleman in the audience wound up his statement to Mrs. Clinton with, “All I want is a single payer health care system.” I don’t recall Hillary’s response, but I wish she’d asked, “Fine, will YOU be that payer?”

The expression “single payer health care system” is new-speak for government provided health care system. Anyone who asks for the government to provide something really should consider the consequences. The consequences will be less than you’d desire, I’d argue. By my own experience within the past decade, I’ve had three MRIs made, each within 48 hours of the time it was ordered. I understand that you will wait weeks or months for an MRI exam in Canada, time that may be crucial to obtaining a correct diagnosis and saving a life.

Now according to an on-line report from Pennsylvania at http://www.phc4.org/reports/FYI/fyi27.htm an average cost of an MRI machine is $2 million with an operating expense of $800,000 per year. So the cost of an MRI exam will be a bit more expensive than a latte at Starbucks not to mention the time of the radiologist to read the pictures. No wonder Ottawa rations such technology since they’re paying for it.

I recommend The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care A Citizen’s Guide by Sally C. Pipes a PDF version of the book is available online at http://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/the-top-ten-myths-of-american-health-care-a-citizens-guide by clicking on the line “Read PDF Study” near the bottom of the screen.