One of the many claims in Michael Moore's film Sicko is that 45 million Americans are unable to get health insurance. The defenders of status quo medicine in Canada say that many Canadians would be left uninsured if Canadian governments opened the door to more private health care. This is not true.

Let's consider at the claim of 45 million uninsured Americans.

According to the United States Census Bureau, 18 million of the uninsured in America are between the ages of 18 and 34. About 16 million of the uninsured earn more than $50,000 US per year. Do people not buy health insurance because it is too expensive or because they freely decide not to Health insurance would cost a young, healthy person as low as about US $100 per month and for a family of four about US$250 per month.

If young, healthy, well-off people choose to remain uninsured in the US that's one thing. What about the poor Well, another 14 million are eligible for government-funded insurance in the US but choose not to apply. But why would people who could get insurance for free or afford to pay for insurance choose to remain uninsured The answer is U.S. law requires that anyone within 250 yards of an emergency room receives care, regardless of their ability to pay. If people know they can show up at an emergency room and receive health care for free, many will do so. The claim of 45 million uninsured Americans is a myth and scaremonger Moore is not being truthful, but that's nothing new for him..

This is all moot anyhow because advocates for health care reform in Canada have never claimed Ottawa should adopt the US system. Canada's health care system is a Soviet-style centrally planned system, just like the ones in North Korea and Cuba. We can do better. There are other systems out there that would give us better health care outcomes and unburden taxpayers from the weight of an unsustainable system.

Sweden, a country widely viewed as a bastion of socialist medicine, has privately managed health care facilities, private health care insurance and user fees. Sweden now spends less of its national income on health care than Canada and wait times have been reduced. Other countries, including France, Germany and New Zealand, also deliver better medical outcomes than Canada does.

In fact, Canada is the only OECD country where it is illegal for you to pay for core medical services out of your own pocket for yourself and your family. The result: health care rationing and long wait times for care. This won't continue. The Supreme Court of Canada has already ruled that forcing people to suffer and die on waiting lists is a violation of the rights of Quebecers. It's now time to extend that decision to the rest of Canada.

The Canadian health care system is failing many patients - we must open the dialogue for change now, not be duped by Hollywood.