Canada's socialized health care crisis

From the NY Times of all places. Copy and paste this link, "http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/12/international/americas/
12canada.html" (without the quotation marks), into Google and you won't have to register. Copy "http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/12/international/americas/
12canada.html?pagewanted=2" (without the quotation marks) to get page 2.

UPDATE: The NYTimes has removed this page, a reprint can be found here.

Canada is in the midst of a health care crisis because there is no incentive for doctors to practice in small towns (less than 100,000) and the waiting period in larger towns is causing it's own problems. People are going to emergency rooms to get care and clogging that system too.

From page 1 of the article, "Whitby officials estimate that 22,000 people here have no doctor at all, forcing them to go to emergency rooms at overcrowded local hospitals to wait in line for up to four hours simply to refill a prescription, get a doctor's note for an employer or care for their flu symptoms.

"It's like winning the lottery to get in and see the doctor," Mayor Marcel Brunelle said. "This is a very wealthy country. What happened to bring the situation to this point?"

From page 2, "If the current trends continue we can anticipate a crisis," warned Joseph D'Cruz, a University of Toronto business school professor who specializes in health care. "People will actually find it impossible to get general medical services in their towns."

The doctor shortage is hurting the economies of small towns seeking to attract businesses. But it is also taxing the energies of the doctors who do live in those towns, as well as the resources of local hospitals - and patients often complain that their treatment is rushed."

The only problem with the story comes at the end where they quote a 22 year old about "not having to pay". Where do they think the money comes from? Is it magic? Do the doctors donate their time? Why didn't they say that each Canadian pays over $400 a month in taxes to pay for their health care?