Paul Jacob notes that Canadians are becoming disenchanted with "free" health care. While some of our seniors look to Canada for deeply discounted drugs, more and more Canadians are coming down here to take advantage of our private medical system.

In Canada, on the other hand, it's pretty much government through and through. Though "free medicine" sounds great, its implementation has led to more than a few problems. For something "free," it comes with a high price tag: Canadians pay for the service in extremely high taxes. Worse yet, Canadian patients are often forced to be extraordinarily patient, even at the cost of their health.

If you need a test, getting it in Canada is not the speedy thing it is in America. There's usually a lag. This applies to treatments, too, especially the older you get.

In his book Code Blue, medical student David Gratzer reported that Canadians wait for radiation therapy three to four times longer than Americans do. The average wait for an MRI scan stretches almost to half a year, while Americans wait three days. Only a fifth of Canadians diagnosed with cancer can see a specialist within four weeks.

In America we have a huge taxpayer subsidized medicare system, but it's supplimented by a large scale private system. If you don't like the quality of your health care, you are always free to pay a little more for something better. But nations like Canada and Great Britain, where the government is calling the shots, there is no choice at all. Unless you are politically connected or can afford to travel out of the country, you're pretty much stuck with what you got.