Canadas Health Care System ?

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Leon

In Canada, the lowest person has the same access to health care as the highest. If I need to see my doctor, I can get an appointment pretty fast. If he can not do it fast enough for me, I can go to a walk in clinic instead. The problem is if I have to see a specialist. I would need a referral from my GP or from a walk-in-clinic doctor but the specialists mostly have waiting lists, sometimes up to 6 or 9 months long. All the money in the world would not buy me to the front of that line. This is very frustrating for people who have a lot of money but kind of nice for the people who don't.

Nobody in Canada has to choose between going to the doctor and eating. That is where preventative care comes in. In the US, if you don't have insurance and you don't have the money, you will ignore your problems, in some cases until it's too late. In Canada, you will go to the GP because you don't have to pay and you will get that referral to the specialist, even if you have to wait, you will get taken care of. In the meantime, the US brother is still contemplating if to go to the doctor or pay the power bill.

So, to summarize it, the US system is way better for people who have money and the Canadian system is way better for the people who donÂ´t.

Jim B

The current population of the USA is about 300 million people, while the population of Canada, about 90 percent SMALLER, at about 31 million people.

In the USA there are about 45 million people who have NO health care insurance. In Canada, that number is zero.

Where would you rather live ?

Jim B. Toronto./

old lady

There is no basic health care system in the US. You have to buy your own health insurance, or work for an employer who will either pay the premium or share it with you.
Canada's health care system covers everyone. Period.

MIka

There is more than one MRI machine in Southern Ontario. I had an MRI done at a hospital downtown Toronto that happens to have three in that particular hospital. Then there's all the MRI machines in the other hospitals in Toronto. Then there's MRI machines (not very many) in other hospitals in other cities. And we don't wait 6 months for a doctors appointment. You wait usually three or four days. It can be longer, it can be an hour later. It depends why you're going. If you have a rash and you need to see the doctor, and then there's another person who is having Chemo and has to see their doctor, the cancer patient goes first. It depends how serious your problem is. And here, doctors don't buy the MRI machines like it is in America. The government buys them and outside companies can buy them and donate them and hospitals sometimes do fundraisers.

Hope

Like any health care are positives and negatives to universal healthcare. This is what I've observed as a young Canadian living in Ottawa. Everyone gets free health care. No matter your age, gender, race, religion, economic status, whatever. We all have the right to it. We have sinificantly higher taxes than americans for it, but it's good to have because it's not someones fault if they get sick, and having to pay seems like a silly idea (atleast to me).
With that said I know many people who do not have a family doctor. Not only in Ottawa, but my grandparents in New Brunswick, and other family in Nova Scotia. We have somewhat of a shortage of doctors with retirement, and many doctors going to america because the pay is better (this is true so don't argue people. Some students coming out of medical schoool are going to the U.S.) or to help overseas in Africa and Asia. Alot of doctors also aren't taking new patients so it's tough. I was fortunate enough that when my family doctor died a year ago to be taken in by my grandmother's (other grandparent than previously mentioned) young, healthy and frankly quite handsome doctor, but this was only because I'm family and he's a really nice man.
While not having a doctor can be a problem, there are walk-in clinics one can easily go and still get quality care. Although sometimes the wait can be long. You still can get looked at, sent for any necessary tests, and have follow up visits just as if you had a doctor. For those who do have a doctor generally the wait is small and like in someone's previous post, you can get in the day of depending on what the problem.
Now when it comes to the specialists this is what I know from first hand experience. The wait is LONG!!! To be fair, I live in ottawa and we have the worst wait times in all of ontario. Now last November I went to my doctor with some medical problems and well....long story short he schedualed a colonsocopy for me. So my appointment was suppose to be at the end of May (6months later), and 3 weeks before i got a call saying they needed to cancel it and reschedualed for end of July. When I went in July it was only a meeting with the specialist to determine whether I should have one or not. He decided that yes I did and I got in quite quickly, Sept.2. So I went but now I don't find out the results until November. One Year after I brought my initial concern to my doctor I find out if I'm fine or not. However once I was assessed I did have the procedure within a month which is pretty speedy all things considered.
To be completely clear (because I found what someone said earlier isn't exactly true) it's not all "wait your turn" and people get in line because let's face it sometimes there are emergencies and when its deemed necessary someone can skip the line. For example my mother (46, i'm 19) was rushed to the hospital last Febuary with abdominal problems and received the same procedure I was waiting for, within that week. Through this they did the necessary tests and found a tumour and she underwent surgery and blah blah blah, now she's doing well. I know of a similar through a friend whose mother was at a late stage of breast cancer and received treatment right away. In both these case it wasn't money, but need and urgency that allowed them to jump the line.
Universal health care does not mean we dont have to pay for our prescription medecines. We have health care plans that cover medecine and if you're lucky you don't have to pay anything. Now sometimes some plans don't cover certain medecines and you have to pay for it which can be a struggle. Recently they introduced something for people with type one diabetes where you don't have to pay for needles...or well I'm like 98% sure that's what it was, which is awesome because despite what people say, the majority of type 1 diabetes is due to natural health problems and not obesity, thats a fact.
We have to pay for our own dentistry if you're not covered under a plan, most often provided through work benefits. I recently had my wisdom teeth out and not only did the procedure hurt, I was glad we have free health care 'cause I almost had a heart attack. Luckily my dad's plan covered me for half of it, but it was still alot.
That's pretty much about it. It's probably alot to take in and completely useless to you because I ramble, but hopefully I was somehow able to help in your view of the Canadian healthcare system. Any clarification feel fre to ask. It may seem weird to pay for oher people's health care but hey I would do it for them and I hope they would do for me. That's the Canadian way, we (generally speaking) look out for one another

harry k

There are huge misconceptions on both sides.

Lex - There is more than one MRI in Southern Ontario. Yes per capita there are more in the US than Canada, but it's not as dire as Lex states.

Old Lady - You have no concept of health care in the US. There are two programs in the US - Medicare (for retired seniors) and Medicare for those who cannot afford coverage.

Dr.Henry17

There are no positives. Most people will tell you that it is free but in reality the amount of our taxes that goes to health care is considerably more than what health insurance would cost. The quality of care is horrible. The only real positive is that wilfully blind Canadians get to be unjustifiably smug.

Lex

The difference is obvious - basic health care is covered in Canada. The negative is that there's no preventative health care in Canada. In the US you're paying for the specialist so you can call them directly and get an appointment within a few days - in Canada you usually have a six month wait on top of the fax sent from your doctors office and the lapse between that day and appointment. Doctors can actually make the sort of money to have machines like an MRI in the US - there is one MRI machine in all of southern Ontario. If you're paying out of pocket in Canada, the cost is about the same with an ER visit being about $100 just to walk in the door but in the US you can go to whatever hospital you please and they'll bill you. If you're out of pocket in Canada, you must pay up front. I could go on.

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