Is the health insurance in Canada as good as its made out to be?

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Susan F

Our health care system has its good and its bad points.

The reasons I would never want to lose our health care system: when you go to the hospital or doctor, no one worries how much money you have in your account, if you're at the right hospital for your coverage.. you just go. It's universal so everyone is covered, and people at the lower end of the income scale have their medical premiums subsidized. I don't pay any co-pays when I see my doctor. If I need to see a specialist, I get sent.. no checking with my insurance to see if they cover it.

What our system desperately needs to fix: The wait times. It's very sad, but many people ARE waiting far too long to see specialists, to have surgeries done, etc. Sadly, wait times in ERs can easily be four or more hours. Not good.. The system is over-worked and underfunded. The doctors, nurses and technicians are hard-working and for the most part caring and wonderful, but they're caseloads are far too high. There's a shortage of General practician doctors in certain areas, and god forbid you live outside a large city.

I don't blame our universal system on the problems, but rather years of mismanagement and fat cats who eat at the trough.

Oh.. and when you say our system is "free" - it's not free. we pay for it through our medicare preminums AND our taxes. No, we don't pay for the individual appointments and visits to the hospital, etc., but don't for a second think that it's free.

tuppenybitz

i have no complaints,since i moved to Canada 7 years ago Ive never had to wait for treatment

went to the emergency ward with an infection in my foot and was operated on 5 hours later
Ive never waited or tests or xrays at all
health care works quite well in Canada

tess

Overall, I'm happy with our health care. There is a problem of wait times for certain procedures (MRI'S especially) average 3 months here in BC.

However, in an emergency there is no wait time. Anyone who is admitted to the ER is rated on a scale. The most serious get treated first (so they should) the people who show up with a sore throat might wait hours & hours (so they should) If people didn't abuse our system, things would run alot better.

And, the other people are correct. It's not free. We pay hefty taxes, and a small monthly premium. My husbands employer pays most. We also have extended medical that pays 80% of prescriptions. 80% for physio. 80% for crutches, medical supplies etc.

finbear

it depends how urgently you need it. i work for a surgeon so generally most of our patients need their ct's booked pretty urgently so they get in within a few days. referrals to the cancer clinic are done within a few days to a week as well. it all depends on what it's for and how urgent the patient needs it. but i would say our healthcare is pretty good. definitely better than the states healthcare.

pinkpiglet126

It isn't perfect - no health care system is. It isn't free however. We pay our taxes and they go towards the health system, after all someone has to pay for it. We also have monthly premiums that go to it.

We do have to wait sometimes if it isn't an emergency but it isn't usually too long.

Dave B

Health is insurance is pretty good. most everything covered..
if you go to emergency you might have to wait 4-8 hours depending on your situation..
an MRI for something like a knee might be 4-6 months..

Cariad

I agree that our health system is good, and that nothing is perfect.

It is nice to know that for most Canadians, we do not have to bankrupt ourselves to have adequate health care.

Some areas do have extreme doctor shortages where to have a physical you have to go to the ER, and that is very bad. That is not what an ER is made for, but there are no doctors in some areas. (where I am there is a 2-3 year wait to have a doctor) The northern and rural areas are the worst hit. It is hard to persuade a doctor to come to an area where they know they will be worked to death and not have the resources at times to help their patients. It is also hard to convince a doctor to come to an area that is remote. In these types of cases the health care isnt as good for "Canadians" as those in more populated areas.

Also, health care is not "free". In some provinces it is paid for in your taxes, in others you pay a monthly premium which your employer may or may not assist with.

As good as Canadian health care is, I think many Canadians take it for granted. I personally think that every Canadian should get an end of the year summary of what their medical costs would be, if we had to pay out of pocket. Those people who use doctors offices for companionship or who are hypochondriacs may wake up then. Or those people who have no idea how lucky we really are will start to appreciate the doctors, nurses and other people in the health industry and not be so mean to us.

Dangermanmi6

the wait time is true for appointments in SOME cases my family doctor only does physicals on certain days so I booked an appointment with her and I had to wait a couple of months HOWEVER in the mean time I've seen her on a couple of medical related problems right away, once I just walked into her office and the nurse booked me in as the next patient This fall I used a LOT of the medical system and the most I'm out of pocket was for parking at a hospital.

What Canadians have to remember, is if you are REALLY sick see your doctor or local walk-in clinic first before going to the hospital with the sniffles. You go in with a minor owie expect to wait until heck freezes over, I've presented to emerg with chest pains three times and I've been seen right away each time without a wait.

HAPA CHIC

well where ranked in the top three while the USa is in the bottom in the industrial world in was actually on the news today .Its a shame that canadians who complain have never experienced how its like in other countries .To know the real facts that people die because they can't afford health care even in the states . Maybe instead of subsudized health care
for awhile it should be like the states and these compaliners get a bill in the thousand for simple things
a girl died recently in the states because although her parents were paying extra for health care they decided not to cver her kidney operation .which was 10,000 dollars that would not happen here.
Anyways as for wait time obviously since its free for all but in my experience those who are urgent are bumped in line first and that is the way it should be . I do not mind that I might have to wait if someone is more urgent .
Last year I lived in Barrie due to an emergency operation I needed I was rushed immediatly to Toronto for a midnight operation. I needed it and I got it because it was urgent ...the second time they told me they had to place an operation till the next day due to some people being more urgent then me ...I completly understand that

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