In this time of COVID-19, millions of Americans have lost their employer based health care. For someone with diabetes this could be a death sentence.

That is not the case in every country. Not even the price is the same everywhere. In the U.S., insulin can cost more than $350 a vial. The same thing in Canada is $30. Why such a staggering difference?

We are told that our health care is the best in the world. If that were true Americans would live longer than Canadians. The life expectancy in the US is 76 years for men and 81 years for women, in Canada it’s 79 for men and 85 for women.

Canada also spends less than we do. The United States pays 16.9% of it’s GDP on health care. Canada pays 11.4%

What is GDP and why should we care? Gross Domestic Product is how much money changes hands over a particular period of time. That means that out of every hundred dollars that changes hands in the United States $16.90 is spent on health care. In Canada it is $11.40. We spend $5.50 on every $100 more for health care than Canada

Health care costs in Canada are less because they use collective bargaining. There is a strong emphasis on proactive care, their paperwork is simpler than ours and they address health care as a human right.

The power of collective bargaining gives them a better price. Each Canadian Province bargains with drug companies directly. No one in Canada dies because they were rationing their insulin.

Canada spends a lot more money on proactive care than we do. It is considerably cheaper to teach a diabetic about good nutrition and give them the medication they need than to have them end up in the emergency room. It’s cheaper to treat someone’s high blood pressure than to have them suffer a heart attack or a stroke

Paperwork is kept to a minimum. It’s much cheaper to have just one form to fill out and just one billing entity. In the U.S. we have hundreds of plans with mountains of paperwork. Almost every doctor’s office has someone on their staff who does nothing but bill insurance companies.

Another part of Canada’s lower prices is that the system runs at cost. Think of the Canadian Health Care system like the U.S. municipal water system. The water bill is based solely on the cost of operating the plant. You are paying the workers salaries, supplies, maintenance and upgrades. There are no stock holders.

A corporation exists to make a profit for its stock holders. The municipal water system exists to provide clean water to everyone at the best possible price. The people who set up our water system over a hundred years ago knew that no one can live without water. If a private entity owned the water they would have tremendous power over everyone else.

The same philosophy applies to the Canadian health care system. It is an essential service. It is run at cost and with public input. Ordinary Americans have a say in the running of the water plant. Ordinary Canadians have a say in their health care. If someone has a complaint about the water they can call the plant operator, call the mayor or take it to the City Council. Any major change to the water system has to be approved by the voters. Each community has direct control of its own water supply. Each province has direct control of their own health plan.

One of the major drawbacks of a profit-based system is the lack of personal power. Have you ever tried to bargain with an insurance company? The appeals process is usually behind closed doors and often unfruitful.

I ask the readers to tell us their own health care stories. Have you ever been to another country and needed health care? What happened? Do you have a story about health care here? Good or bad. When we listen to each other we make better choices.

We need a health care system that does not sentence anyone to death for lack of money.

Marie Tomlinson is a Fredonia resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com