Canadians: How is the healthcare system like in Canada?

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Pichi

As an American living in Canada, I can give you some comparisons between U.S. and Canadian health care.

First, it's not "free", HOWEVER it IS available to everyone regardless of economic status. In some provinces you pay a monthly amount towards it, in others the taxes are higher. Also, meds, appliances (such as wheelchair, cpap machine) are not included, nor is dental or optical.

Second, while there can be wait times, generally it is for less serious conditions. Canada is working hard to make the average wait for cancer treatment less than 8 weeks, and hopefully soon it will be down to 4 weeks (in many situations it is less than 4 weeks already). In emergency rooms, cases are triaged, and if you have a life-threatening or serious condition, you are immediately taken into treatment. Those with less serious injuries may have to wait for several hours. This is comparable though to U.S. emergency rooms.

Contrary to what some people have heard about U.S. health care, someone without health insurance can and will be treated if they are seriously ill or injured. My husband had a heart attack while in the U.S. and was immediately seen without anyone asking for financial information. We were never approached about money through the entire hospitalization, though I am sure a bill will show up shortly!

While Canada's health care system needs adjustments and changes, overall, it is good, and the fact you don't have to wait precious minutes or hours debating whether your condition is serious enough to go to an E.R. or doctor is very important!

jeffypuff

That's bullcrap - when my dad was diagnosed with cancer, he began his treatment immediately, and lived to tell about it. Healthcare is excellent here.

TMLeaf Fan

I have no issue with our healthcare, but then again, at present, I have no need for specialist etc. Wait times are bad, but have been improving dramatically. Sars was handled just fine....it was contained and managed appropriately.

happy happy

i am happy we don't have to pay alot for healthcare, and surgery. we would be in big trouble if we did.

Danelady

Sars was handled well, it was just the media that had to blow things all out of proportion.

Wait times can be long for some things, but when it was suspected that my husband had cancer symptoms, he was into a specialist within two weeks. Wait times are long for things like hip replacement surgery, but are getting much better.

At least we can go to the hospital whenever we need to, without having to worry about having insurance or having them ask you how you are going to pay for treatment, before they even look at you.

Kateh

I am married to an American and have lived in both Canada and the USA.

Health care in Canada is nothing like the spin doctors working for the insurance lobby in the USA would make it out to be. There are no lengthy waits for any serious problem, like cancer, or any condition that is urgent, but you do wait for elective surgery such as hip replacemen tor getting your tubes tied. You dont wait an excessive amount of time, the wait for hip replacement in Ontario is about six months. In saskatchewan its three. My husband waited three days for an MRI. I waited 10 days for cancer surgery , and then another ten days for radiation. My son needed orthapedic surgery and he waited a week. My other son, who had a long term condition that needed orthotic surgery, waited four months.

From my American husband, who's father had a hip replacement a few years back....it took 8 months from the time h is doctor in Louisiana recommended the replacement , before he had the surgery. He had insurance, but the insurance company had to approve the surgery, which involved a lot of red tape. Here in Canada , the word of the doctor is good enough. Our health decisions are not being made by non medical professionals, on a cost effective basis.

92% of Canadians value our health care system above all other government programs and do not want to change t another system. That says a great deal about how satisfied most of us are with our system.

The stories of Canadians flocking to America for treatment are gross exaggerations at best. For the few times a Canadian does seek treatment outside the country, our government still pays for it :)

Oh, and its not really social medicine, since doctors do not work for the government. They bill the government for each service provided, thus cutting down on the overwhelming paperwork that takes up most American health spending.

We do have slightly h igher taxes, especially for married people because you cant file joint returns here ( although that is on the agenda to change soon). But when you factor in what Americans pay in insurance premiums ( my AMerican hubby was paying 350 dollars per month for coverage for us, with a 20% copay , while living in AR, and working for a fortune 500 company), then probably taxes balance out. We dont have premiums like that. Our social security premiums are about one third less than in the USA as well.

The number of my American friends and husbands ex co workers who are carrying debt loads because of health care expenses astounds me. One of my husbands coworkers had a wife who was hospitalized for six weeks unexpectadly. The cost to him and his wife.....20,000$. Thats the copay that they had to pay. The actual cost was much much more.

Canadians value our system above all else. Any politician that suggests getting rid of it is unelectable. That should tell you how happy we are with it. There are things that should be changed, imo, but overall, what we have is pretty good.

Dont be scared by the insurance company propoganda. AMerica is the ONLY civilized country without some form of universal health coverage for its citizens, and yet you spend more money than any other country on costs. It all goes to administration. Companies in the USA are being overwhelmed at having to provide for their employees, and its costing jobs, or costing wage increases that people need. The USA has a lower life expectancy than any other civilized country, and a higher infant mortality rate. People in the USA, if they dont have insurance, or if they are underinsured or have a high copay, tend to put off visits until it becomes serious. Dont allow this to continue.

My husband and I live by choice in Canada, even though he is American. One of the main reasons is because we feel safer health wise here.

2 shy

Health care is fine in Canada. I have heard all this silliness about the horrible health care in Canada having traveled extensively in the US. This is nothing but political propaganda from those who do not want social health care in the US. If they don't want it, that is their choice, but they don't have to invent stories about Canadian health care to try and support their claims.
I have a family member with cancer. She has had no problem getting treatment and was not put on a waiting list as far as I know (if so, it must have been a very short one, for she didn't wait long.)
On the other hand I was in an emergency waiting room in the US a couple of years back with my daughter. We waited for hours before being seen. A baby died in that same waiting room the evening before we were there, and should not have.
The baby had a flu virus and was having difficulty breathing due to phlegm. Why the wait??? Not enough doctors on duty.

Canadian

Err, where did you read that....

Anyways, the only problem with the healthcare system is the socialist part.

Although healthcare is "free", that just means everyone in the country gives a little to pay for your bill. But added up, that really starts to piss people off.

For instance, just this week in my local area (true story):

Some wild 70 year-old decides TO GO SKYDIVING. Guess what, jeeze, he breaks his hips into about a thousand pieces! Dur!

So, that moron cost Canada over seventy-five thousand dollars.

Should I really be paying for this man's stupidity?

canboat

Remember, SARS was not just a Toronto problem. You see, we have a lot of folks in Toronto from China. Problem is, they like to go back and forth...God knows why.

Anyway...SARS started in China...and we can all agree...nothing good ever came out of China.

As for healthcare system...it's imploding on itself. Just another bloated government system being strangled by socialism.

toshida t

i have friend from there he told me its free health care so cant expect free to be fast

countpetez

Anything government run is mis-managed. Healthcare here is paid for by the general taxpayer and takes a huge bite out of the working class paycheck, so those who don't need it pay the most. There is a severe shortage of family doctors, because a vet or dentist can make tons more cash in private practice. Specialists can make more money without working the hours or having to have offices and staff. Wait times are too long and travel times increased to specialists. I believe we need to head towards a private-public partnership, the bureaucratic excesses are hurting us.

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