Second Canada Question?

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thinkingtime

Everyone resident in Canada is entitled to health care but there is a wait period for new arrivals. Each person contributes to a group policy operated by the province that they live in. This may be paid by a tax levy collected as part of income tax or as part of regular income taxation.

However, children, students and people who are out of work, disabled or retired are still covered by the group policy. If you travel to another province you show your home province card and the province you visit is billed.

Canadians are always insured, never refused treatment for medical conditions and may not be excluded for pre existing conditions or loss of a job related insurance. Treatment is never refused because the insurance company wants a cheaper option, or because that patient has no insurance or no money.

Wait lists depend on severity of the illness. From my family, for a slow growing tumour:
2 hours to see a family doctor.
+3 days to see a neurologist.
+3 hours for a CT scan
+1 working day to get an MRI
+1 day to get bad news
+2 weeks to see a neurosurgeon (choice of 4)
+5 weeks with tests to get surgery

When that person got sick, he and his wife had just lost their jobs. Imagine how it would have been with no insurance and no income.....

LoveStruckGirl6

Everyone in Canada pays taxes, ex. when you buy stuff at the store, you pay sales tax. Even low income people pay taxes, but not much. If you rent you do also pay tax. There is a shortage of doctors in canada since the baby boomers are all retiring including the majority of doctors, and all of them are getting sick. Depending where you live, wait times will vary. If you live in major centers, operation wait times are around 2 months (obviously varies alot depending on the surgery).. Its still a great health care system!

Robert P

Health care is free nowhere. Someone picks up the bill. Canada does not have "universal health care", whatever that means. Nor does Canada have "socialized medicine", as if it is the Soviet Union. Canada has a mandatory universal health care insurance system, run by government agencies each province. Therefore health care varies across the country in quality, accessibility, etc. Health care is largely funded by transfer payments from the federal government (collected from payroll taxes) and given to provincial governments to act as health insurers. In some provinces people pay monthly insurance premiums, but they are much lower than in the US (in British Columbia it's about $50). Low income people don't pay this. As for taxes, anyone who works is subject to income tax at a marginal rate (meaning you pay increased percentages on the more money you make--identical to the US system.) Someone might make so little money that they don't pay any tax. Homeowners pay property taxes, like in other parts of the world. There reportedly is a shortage of doctors in Canada but this is a complicated issue. Canadian doctors are well-paid but might make marginally more in SOME jobs the US (although this is often offset by higher malpractice insurance and the administrative nightmare of billing multiple insurers or having uninsured patients).
Waiting times are all over the map. I hear Canadians ranting about having to wait for knee surgery for a couple of months when my mother in the US was made to wait by her doctor for two years for her knee surgery so as to do it at the last possible point in time (because artificial knees don't last forever). Canadians think any wait means they're getting inadequate care. There's a lot of complaining yet people live longer in Canada than in the US and everyone insured. Cancer treatment in my province is top notch and there are no waiting times at the cancer centre down the street from me. I think everyone experience varies, yet I understand in the smaller poorer provinces experiences might be worse (as they would be anywhere like that, such as rural North Dakota).
All countries are struggling with the increasing cost of health care, including Canada with its aging population.

iAm notArabbit

Canada has free universal health care. It's free to all citizens- free, but paid for with tax dollars. Everyone pays taxes in one way or another. If you shop you pay sales tax, if you work you pay federal and provincial taxes on your salary. You don't pay taxes on rental property. Doctors in Canada are generally not paid as much as doctors in the US who are in private practice; therefore, that would lead to fewer doctors staying here in Canada. Wait times are ridiculous at appointments, the emergency room...(you can easily wait 6 hours or more at our emergency room for "non-urgent" matters- even if you're in severe pain (which I have been))

Overall, I'm glad I live in Canada where I do have free healthcare. I can't imagine not being able to see a doctor whenever I feel I need to. It's a luxury I do not take for granted!

pinkpiglet126

>>>>free, but paid for with tax dollars

This person said it is free but paid for with tax dollars. LOL that means it is NOT free. We all pay for it, we just don't pay an insurance company or the dr directly.

Yes we can walk into the dr. office or the ER and we don't have to worry about paying out of pocket, but when it comes to our tax returns and buying things at the store, we pay.

As for property taxes (owning homes) that's entirely different because that's usually local taxes, not federal.

I'm watching a TV show right now about the dr shortage. We have no less family dr's now then we did 15 years ago, however, the dr's we have now work less hours then the older dr's because they want to have a life and a family instead of just a practice which makes sense to me.

contessajfjg

Compared to the US I would consider it free. If you have a baby in Canada, you go home without paying anything. If you have a baby in the US EVEN with health insurance covered by your employer you still usually pay 1-2 grand unless you have amazing health insurance which I have yet to find. ALSO if you do not have health insurance in the US having a baby can rang anywhere from 12 grand and up... AND trust me many people do not have coverage especially since employers do not have to offer it. However they can apply for a government program to help pay their bills if they meet the requirements. You should rent the video "Sicko" it describes how a lot of people in the US are denied for pretty silly reasons, where in Canada everyone is covered and they won't deny you, or find out you can't pay and drop you off on the street (watch the movie)
Everyone in Canada pays taxes, you pay taxes on things you purchase, property taxes, ect. Same as in the US however Canada tends to have higher property taxes as well as sales taxes. In the US tax is usually already in the purchase price of an item you buy.
In some places there is a shortage of family doctors, I know about that, so many people have to go to walk in clinics instead. If there is something serious the walk-in clinic will give you a referral to see a specialized doctor. When you leave the clinic you do not pay anything, US you pay, without insurance a doctor is about $50-$100 for only half an hour (I know I have paid thousands of dollars WITH and Without insurance :S ) If you go into a walk in clinic you might have to wait an hour or so, again in the US I have had an appointment and waited usually 30-45 minutes. Life threatening operations you wouldn't have to wait for, for example people who need liver transplants are put on a list from who needs it the most to who wont need it for a while, those who need it first get it first (experience) some Canadian travel to the US or other countries to get some operations done, I have heard of this. But many Americans travel to other countries to get operations done too, since it is a lot cheaper.

Janine B

There is probably a shortage of dr's most places in the world. I live in a townhouse, I rent it, I pay taxes, depending on the operation there might be a longer wait. I don't usually wait more than a week for a dr appt, more if he is on holidays and it isn't an emergency, next day if it is an emergency or same day if he can fit me in.
I wouldn't say we have free health care because there are things that have to be paid for, but universal health care, yes, everyone can see a dr and get medical attention.

catwomanmeeeeow

Health care in Canada varies by province. Most provinces offer free health care, although there are one or two that charge a monthly or yearly fee for medical care.
Yes, everyone pays taxes, even if you do not own a home (income tax, and tax on pretty much everything you buy).
Yes, there are doctor shortages because of the "brain drain" to the United States, and finding a family doctor can be difficult because many clinics do not accept new patients.
And yes, you do have to wait a long time if you have an ER visit, and yes, you do have to wait for operations for a while (unless they're urgent).

firedragon2133

Health care is free. If you have a job or own land or buy stuff you pay taxes. There's a shortage of doctors because they get paid better in the US so they leave. If you get hit by a car or get a heart attack then you will get fast treatment. If you want to get a operation for something small like a non cancerous bump then you might have to wait a while.

kenoplayer

In regards to paying for health care... you do not have to pay as you go. It is paid for by taxes. Yes, every one pays taxes. It is called the Goods and Services Tax (GST). This tax is added on to everything. So, even the unemployed and welfare are paying a small tax whenever they purchase an item or service. Every one else pays income tax, business tax, federal tax, provincial tax and municipal tax.

Yes, there is a shortage of doctors per say. The majority of Canadian adults are aging baby boomers and their numbers are overwhelming in ratio to available medical personnels. Wait times for an appointment varies depending on the reason for your visit. If you are visiting your family doctor for some minor ailment, it can take about 7 to 10 days to see him/her. If its an emergency, they will get you in immediately.
For something like a hip/knee replacement, MRI or scans, it can take 2 to 3 months.

Hope this helps a bit.

Tony R

keep them coming and if I find one I like I will answer it

Vinod N

It is Universal Health Care which is free. Yes everyone will have to pay taxes. Yes you will have to wait for long to see a doc.

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