Celebrating Medicare with U.S. cable TV viewers

Canadians watching U.S. cable channels like CNN, A&E and MSNBC are being reminded about the importance of Canada’s Medicare system through a new TV ad campaign by the Canadian Health Coalition.

“There was a time in Canada when quality health care depended upon your ability to pay for it,” the ad informs viewers. “Sixty years ago we found a better way, and public Medicare was born,” the announcer says over a photo of Tommy Douglas, the founder of Medicare.

The public service announcement will air at least 2,000 times on a dozen or more U.S. cable stations carried in Canada until February thanks to a free advertising service mandated by the CRTC, Canada’s broadcasting regulator.

It’s part of the Canadian Health Coalition’s campaign to commemorate the achievements of public Medicare, especially on the 40th anniversary of the Canada Health Act. The ad also raises the profile of the Canadian Health Coalition.

We designed the ad to acknowledge the challenges facing public health care, and salutes the efforts of frontline health workers. But it leaves the viewer with a message of hope.

“Together we can make public health care even better,” says the announcer, and urges viewers to join the Canadian Health Coalition.

Many Canadians get their news from U.S. television sources, and we wanted the ad to remind them of the benefits of the universal public health care we enjoy here at home.

There’s no sugar-coating the challenges public health care faces: underfunding, privatization, and burned-out workers. But we need to empower people with the knowledge that the alternatives to public health care are far worse, and the Canadian Health Coalition is working to bring people together to achieve Tommy Douglas’ vision.

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