The "If you can't beat them in service -buy them out strategy" is bad for freedom of choice. Sad -and with unlimited public funds -a double negative .
winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - NDP stifles choice: "Just when Manitobans were beginning to gain some choice in health care, along comes government's health-care monopoly to gobble up the competition.
The Maples Surgical Centre, a private clinic that had been providing MRIs and pediatric dental surgery to the public for a fee, inked a deal with the Doer government yesterday that will end private access to those services.
Under the $2.3-million deal, Manitobans will no longer be able to purchase MRI scans or pediatric dental surgeries from the clinic. That choice has been bought out by government.
Maples was charging patients $695 per MRI scan but they were delivering the service within 48 hours.
By contrast, hospitals -- under the government monopoly system -- force patients to wait as long as 10 weeks for elective MRIs"
