Anti Obamacare video

This video is an advertisement paid for and made by a group called Americans For Prosperity. They examine what the Affordable Care Act could entail for Americans by looking at Canada, which has a government-run healthcare system paid for out of the people's taxes. This is a good idea, as looking at a nearby country with a similar system is a good way of seeing what problems could arise. Shona Holmes, a Canadian, reveals that she would have had to wait up to six months to get an appointment she needed, although an American doctor told her that if she didn't receive treatment she would be dead within that time. I  feel that Americans are right to be worried about this aspect of the ACA. In a healthcare system that everyone has access to, it is almost unavoidable that waiting times would be longer. In the UK, the NHS maximum waiting time for treatment is 18 weeks. For someone with a life-threatening condition, that amount of waiting time could mean death, so I understand why Americans would be worried about it. Especially if they look at models such as Canada and the UK, they do see long waiting times.

However, part of the reason for the waiting times is that everyone can afford the treatment they need. In America, if someone gets sick or is injured, they need to either have insurance coverage or enough savings to pay for the treatment. If they don't have the money, they don't get treated. Surely it is better for everyone to have the opportunity for healthcare. Although America has the most advanced care and world's leading hospitals, as well as spending twice as much on healthcare as the UK, so it is possible that under Obamacare America would be able to avoid problems such as long waiting times.