care providers. This would then reduce cost to the consumer as the different companies compete to obtain business. There have been however, many instances that have shown the effects of privatization to be just the opposite. For example, in order to remain competitive, money will have to be invested in advertising and marketing, a cost that is not present in the Canadian Health Care system as it stands, (Wilson, 1995). Health care is not a place for the free-market competition. As a consumer one is driven to shop around for the best product for the best price. It is simply not feasible for an individual to wait for a medical service to go on sale or to exchange the same if not 100% satisfied. Nor is it consistent with the principles of the Canadian Health Act that explicitly state that ‘the provision of medically necessary services shall not be for profit and shall be publicly funded,” according to Armstrong & Armstrong (1996). It explicitly contradicts a value on which Canadians founded their beliefs of what constitutes Health Care in Canada. Simply the operation of a private system will likely lead to increase of costs. Less bureaucracy in a public system eliminates the extra expenses often attributed to the higher overhead and increased operating rates, (Armstrong & Fegan, 1998). These costs are incurred from the paperwork and administration necessary to regulate a private system. In Canada’s single-payer system it is not necessary to make an itemized list of the equipment used per individual patient in order to draw up a bill for services. In a single-payer system it is also not necessary to keep records of each individual’s insurance plan and their payment and treatment options. In fact, in the past, when Canada has moved to de-insure medical services, (i.e., eye exams, and prescriptions), it has actually indicated increased cost for the consumer, (Armstrong & Armstrong, 1996). In all, increasing priv...
