Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is sold as an alternative to conventional (i.e. science/evidence based) medicine. The rallying cry of CAM supporters is usually that of choice. They feel that the supporters of conventional medicine have backed them into a corner, and conspire alongside “Big Pharma” to ensure that their choices for treatment are limited. They demand to be able to choose how they treat their own bodies. Naturally, in a place like Canada where we have a universal public health care system, we fund these “treatments”, because we don’t want to deprive people of their ability to choose. Even if we take into account the fact that these “treatments” don’t work, they still make people feel better and get rid of symptoms, so why shouldn’t we fund them? Granted, some forms of CAM can be dangerous, but as long as people are properly informed as to the safety and proven efficacy of CAM techniques, why shouldn’t they be able to take that risk? Some forms of CAM, like homeopathy, are truly harmless — especially if taken in conjunction with conventional medicines.

Taken together, this sounds like a compelling case for public support and funding of CAM, and this is often seen as a compelling reason by legislators. If the people want it, and it makes them happy, then why shouldn’t we support it? Aside from the fact that this lends credence to ineffective methods of treatment (which arguably is also a rather large problem), the main reason for why this is a bad idea lies in the intended purpose of universal public health care.

So what is the point of public health care? First, we must understand what public health care actually is (i.e. who foots the bill). Most people understand it as universal health care paid for by the government; however, nothing is ever truly “paid for by the government”, as the government’s source of revenue is the taxation of its citizens. That means that public health care is a form of income redistribution aimed at ensuring that everybody can afford health care. The government isn’t paying for it; we all are. However, the government can’t just go around redistributing wealth willy-nilly; if you’re going to take money away from one person in order to give it to another person, you need a good reason for doing so. The reason why we do this is that we view universal health care as a public good. Not only is a society where everybody has basic/essential health care a happier and more productive society, but its one where everybody is less likely to get sick. Put simply, the less people who are sick (and the shorter the duration of their sickness), the less likely it is that I, or anybody else for that matter, will become sick. By preventing disease in one person, we often indirectly prevent the disease in others’ as well.

The fact is, while CAM might make people feel better and allieviate symptoms, it does nothing to treat or cure illnesses. You might feel better after you take that homeopathic supplement, but you’re still just as sick and just as likely to pass on whatever you have to somebody else. This is a very similar problem to the anti-vaccination movement, where failing to be vaccinated doesn’t only put you at risk, but because you become a potential carrier of the disease, it puts others in the community at risk by destroying herd immunity and increasing the chance of a dangerous viral mutation. Maintaining a minimum standard for health care, like mandatory vaccination, is important in order to protect everyone in a community. When we publically fund CAM, we achieve none of the intended benefits of having a socialized and universal health care system.

The other important thing to keep in mind is that health care costs are not being funded by some abstract government; they are being funded by taxes paid by you and me. I don’t mind my tax dollars going towards ensuring that other people can lead a healthy life; especially when it means that I have less of a chance of getting sick as a result. However, I have neither desire, nor perceived moral obligation, to pay in order for other people to feel better. If people want to spend their own money on homeopathic remedies, or acupuncture, they can go ahead — but don’t make me pay for it.