Palin: While Growing Up, My Family Would Seek Health Care In Canada

Sarah Palin spoke to an audience in Alberta, Canada, over the weekend. Interestingly enough, she claimed that while growing up, her own family would seek out health care in Canada -- a country with a single-payer health care system.

Palin has attacked President Obama and the Democrats for their health care proposals, warning that they would result in a government-run system and create "death panels" that would condemn the unfit to die from a lack of health care.

The Canadian Press reports:

The vocal opponent of health care reform in the U.S. steered largely clear of the topic except to reveal a tidbit about her life growing up not far from Whitehorse.

"We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada," she said. "And I think now, isn't that ironic."

Canada's single-payer health care system, known as Medicare, was established in 1966. Its principal founders were Tommy Douglas, leader of the social-democratic New Democratic Party and former Premier of Saskatchewan, and Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson of the Liberal Party. It had previously been implemented at the provincial level in Saskatchewan in the early 1960s, under Douglas's leadership.

At the time of Canadian Medicare's passage, Palin was two years old.

Palin has previously called for at least a partial privatization of Canada's health care system. In November 2009, Palin was apparently tricked by the Canadian sketch-comedy news show This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and was asked a question about Canada's health care system by an actress posing as a fan of hers from Canada. Palin answered: "In fact Canada needs to reform its health care system and let the private sector take over some of what the government has absorbed. So thank you, keep the faith."

Palin's PAC could not be immediately reached for comment.