Although I personally believe we should have the right to purchase any healthcare services in our home country, the questions refers specifically to  essential services. " Essential" is defined as absolutely necessary. By extension, if the healthcare service is absolutely necessary, the patient, if he or she is unable to access it, will ie.

So the questions could be re-phrased to say "would it be preferable for Canadians who are unable to access essential healthcare services, to be obliged to die on our interminably long waiting lists rather than allow them to pay for these services, within Canada, with their after tax dollars? "

We don't prohibit our citizens from paying for life saving medications to treat coronary disease or cancer. It would be unconscionable to do so. So why then single out surgery or other interventional medical procedures as being unavailable to Canadians who are perfectly willing to pay for them?

Now, as it happens, Canadians can pay for some medical services, privately, within Canada. We routinely refer clients for procedures such as:

• Lumbar disectomies
• Rotator cuff surgeries
• Arthroscopic knee surgeries
• Tonsillectomies
• Lap banding procedures
• Cancer biopsies
• Gall bladder removal
• Prolapsed uterus repair
• Hernia repair
• ACL reconstruction
• Knee replacements

None of these can be categorized as essential however. When life saving surgery is required, we refer our clients to facilities in the US, where they are seen within 24 hours.

When we send our Canadian clients to the U.S., we refer to it as accessing "Canada's alternative healthcare system".

Given that Canadians are free to pay for non-life threatening surgeries in Canada, and for essential, life saving surgeries in the US, it would be an obvious next step to allow us to pay for all surgeries, privately, in Canada.

By the way, my organization has saved the lives of 6 Canadians who were on long waiting lists for critical medical treatment, including an 8 year old girl with a massive cranial infection. People with malignant brain tumors, blocked coronary arteries and other urgent medical conditions should not have to wait more than 1 or 2 weeks, let alone 7-8 months, as they do in many areas of Canada, including Toronto.

{styleboxop width=240px,float=right,color=olive,textcolor=black,echo=yes}Every other country in the developed world (except Canada) affords their citizens the basic right to take care of their own health, by paying for it privately.{/styleboxop}

Who is out of step here - Canada or the rest of the world?