es available to those who have large bank accounts and can afford to just go to it and another public system for the rest of us." This politician is obviously voicing his negative opinion of the proposed system by constructing this biased definition. I believe politicians try to appeal to voters by voicing emotional tirades about proposed alternatives to Medicare. Dr. Edwin Coffey, a past president of the Quebec Medical Association and a well-known supporter of two tier health care explains the system in this way, "In a parallel, non-competitive health insurance system, everyone pays into the universal public system also has the option of paying for private health insurance."
             Before presenting the arguments that push for the implementation of a two-tier system, there is evidence that two-tier health care already exists in this country. Dr. Coffey brings to our attention that, "thanks to money, connections, influence, geographic location, level of intelligence, and availability of highly trained physicians and up-to-date technology, (some) get served first or better." A good example of this already existing two-tier health care is the ironic case of Allan Rock, the present Federal Minister of Health. It is suspected that Rock was able to use his influence, whether directly or indirectly, to speed his wait to receive treatment. Another example supporting this theory is how our health system takes full advantage of a private system by paying and insuring "medically necessary" services such as physiotherapy, MRI tests, massage therapy, etc. (Deber et al, 1999, 539). Why is there so much controversy hovering around this issue now? Is there an alarming trend that is occurring that is making our government nervous about the integrity and stability of our health care system? Or are people beginning to notice a subtle emergence of private health care into our system? There is evidence to suggest both hypotheses. To support the lat...