# 50 Years of Medicare in Saskatchewan!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-years-of-medicare-in-saskatchewan/626908>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 1, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-years-of-medicare-in-saskatchewan/626908 "2012-07-01T15:37:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-years-of-medicare-in-saskatchewan/626908/1 "2012-07-01T15:37:18Z")

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By an interesting coincidence, June 30th was the 50th anniversary of the introduction of single-payer, universal health care in Saskatchewan, which ultimately was adopted nation-wide:

[Saskatchewan led battle for Medicare](http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Sask+battle+medicare+plan/6863714/story.html).

It’s hard to imagine the passions it triggered, with the doctors’ strike of 23 days, and fears by the Premier that there would be riots and bloodshed in the streets of Regina.

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**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-years-of-medicare-in-saskatchewan/626908/2 "2012-07-01T16:20:09Z")

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The Saskatchewan experience somehow makes the present tea party/Republican hissy fit over Obamacare in the US seem somewhat tame.

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**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-years-of-medicare-in-saskatchewan/626908/3 "2012-07-01T17:24:41Z")

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Woo woo! Never been so proud to be a Saskie! 😃

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-years-of-medicare-in-saskatchewan/626908/4 "2012-07-01T21:33:54Z")

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You wanna see a bigger riot? Try to end medicare and return to the old system. Remember the reaction when Dubya wanted to privatize Social Security? Now try to end municipal water and sewage. Hard to believe but that was a major controversy in the middle to late 19th century. All that socialism.

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**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-years-of-medicare-in-saskatchewan/626908/5 "2012-07-02T01:39:49Z")

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Mrs. 74westy just realized that she was born the day after the doctors’ strike ended. I said, "that explains a lot. They were out of practice " She was not impressed.

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**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-years-of-medicare-in-saskatchewan/626908/6 "2012-07-02T05:00:12Z")

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As someone raised in Melfort and Regina, it nearly brings a tear to my eye 🙂