Dana Perino Suggests Americans Unhappy with Healthcare Move to Canada
Perino Suggests Americans Dissatisfied with Healthcare “Go to Canada”
Fox News commentator Dana Perino ignited controversy Tuesday night, suggesting Americans unhappy with the U.S. healthcare system should ”go to Canada and try to find a specialist.”
Perino’s comments, made on “The Five,” came in response to senator bernie Sanders’ assertion that healthcare is a right. She questioned how Sanders proposed to fund such a system, citing her late step-mother-in-law’s alleged 18-week wait for treatment for a UTI in an unspecified country, presumably Canada, Scotland, or England.
“And I can understand how frustrated people get on all sides of the thing, but when you say that health care is a right, as bernie Sanders did today, he said he disagreed with the violence, but he said, but he’s showing us what people have come to know, that healthcare is a right.Okay, if you believe that, how are you paying for it?” Perino stated.
However, Perino’s claim that healthcare systems in other developed nations are inferior to the U.S. system is demonstrably false.
Numerous studies, including a 2021 report by the Commonwealth Fund, consistently rank the United States last among developed nations in healthcare performance. The report assessed healthcare systems across five categories: access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity, and health care outcomes. The U.S. ranked last in every category except care process, where it placed second.Furthermore, the report highlighted the U.S.’s poor performance on affordability,noting that Americans are substantially more likely to face financial hardship due to medical bills compared to residents of other developed nations.
It remains unclear whether Perino intended her comments as a genuine suggestion or a sarcastic jab at those advocating for worldwide healthcare.
Nonetheless of her intent, Perino’s remarks highlight the ongoing debate surrounding healthcare in the United States, where access to affordable, quality care remains a contentious issue.
Fox News Comment Raises Eyebrows After Suggesting Unhappy Americans Migrate for Healthcare
Fox News commentator Dana Perino sparked controversy this week by advising Americans dissatisfied with the US healthcare system to “go to Canada and try to find a specialist.”
Her remarks, made during a discussion on “The Five” about Senator Bernie Sanders’ view that healthcare is a right, stemmed from Perino questioning the feasibility of funding such a system. She referenced an anecdote about her late step-mother-in-law allegedly experiencing an 18-week wait for treatment for a UTI in an unspecified country, presumed to be Canada, Scotland, or England.
However, Perino’s implication that other developed nations have inferior healthcare systems is contradicted by numerous studies, including a prominent 2021 report by the Commonwealth Fund. The report consistently ranks the United States last among developed nations in overall healthcare performance. This assessment takes into account five key areas: access to care,care process,administrative efficiency,equity,and health outcomes. While the US placed second in care process, it lagged behind in all other categories. The report also highlighted the significant financial burden healthcare places on Americans, noting that they are far more likely to face financial hardship due to medical bills compared to residents of other developed nations.
Whether Perino intended her comment as a genuine suggestion or a sarcastic retort to healthcare reform advocates remains unclear. Nonetheless, her statement reignites the ongoing dialog surrounding healthcare access and affordability in the United States, a topic that continues to be a source of considerable debate.