Health care for our neighbors to the north isn't so bad, eh

The year was 1968. I had just won the Alabama state science fair in physics and was headed to Spring Hill College in Mobile to start my degree in pre-medicine.

It was a wonderful academic start to my career.

Being young and adventuresome, I went to study medicine in Canada.

After a few years of practicing family medicine in Canada, I obtained my medical license in the state of Rhode Island, with the intention of returning to practice in the United States.

I had a job offer through Brown University Family Medicine Department to work at a community clinic in Providence, R.I., while mentoring family practice residents.

The physicians I met in the program were remarkable individuals and it would have been a privilege to work with them.

But after much soul-searching, I declined the offer and returned to practice medicine in Canada. I came to the conclusion that I would have far more freedom to be the type of physician I was trained to be by staying in Canada.

With a patient sitting in front of me, I would be able to decide what medication to prescribe, what investigations to order and what specialists to consult, based on my clinical judgment and on evidence-based medicine.

My decision would not formed by what the insurer would allow or what tests the private clinic down the road was pushing or what miracle cure a pharmaceutical company was touting on TV.

What if it were you? Ah, yes, that's OK, you say; but what if you had to rely on the Canadian system for your own health care?

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