How many Canadians are happy with their health

[theking]

...care system? More and more anecdotal stories are appearing on the news about how bad Canada and Britain's socialized medical care system is...as the US is on the verge of establishing a socialized medical care system. Is your socialized medical care system a good thing or a bad thing?

Lets here the good the bad and the ugly.

[fris]

ive had no issues with the health care system here

[Jdoughs]

Health care here is great. It may be tougher in the bigger cities where its busy but that would follow suit anywhere I guess.

I dont see many commercials here in Canada (or news stories) saying how rough our system is, its the US commercials (news stories) saying how bad our system is.

That should be your first clue.

[alias]

It's fucking awesome, don't hate dude.

btw it is "hear"

[Martin]

Well it saved my father's life so how can I say anything bad about it? It has some issues depending where you live, but like JD said you don't hear that many horror stories on the news everyday.

No problems here. Dad had a heart attack. They did a quadruple bypass nice and quick, no wait, no charge. Now he's the healthiest he's been for years.

They are running an ad right now implying people with brain tumours have a long waiting list. Hopefully I never get a brain tumour. ( I think this was on a US station)

[mikeyddddd]

Originally Posted by alias

It's fucking awesome, don't hate dude.

btw it is "hear"

The biggest problem in the US
may be the public education system,
not health care.

[WiredGuy]

System itself is great, the only problem is the wait times.
WG

[dav3]

Don't fall for the propaganda saying how bad it is.

[Jakke PNG]

Originally Posted by WiredGuy

System itself is great, the only problem is the wait times.
WG

I doubt there's waitingtimes for 'emergencies'.
My aunt was diagnozed with lungcancer 1st of april 2008, she had her surgery on the 15th to have 1/4 of her lungs removed. By May 1st her ordeal was over and she's now fully recovered.

IF you have something non-serious, but which hinders your life..like a busted knee or something else that's not life-threatening if not immediately treated, then the waitingtimes can be several months and can be a serious pain in the ass (this is here in Finland).

..but then again, I don't know any horror stories where a family has to sell everything to pay their 100's of thousands of medical bills when the insurancecompany fucks them over etc.

..also nobody's forcing you to use the public/free healthcare system. You want to get your surgery next week? Go to a private clinic as you would do now, that's what I did.

[alias]

Originally Posted by Jakke PNG

..but then again, I don't know any horror stories where a family has to sell everything to pay their 100's of thousands of medical bills when the insurancecompany fucks them over etc.

no doubt

[coolegg2]

The cost is great. The quality is hit and miss at times, but you can always upgrade (if you live in a decent-size city). Until recently, I was a member of a private clinic which offered perks the public system didn't have (the doctor takes more time, access to a nutritionist and so on). But times are tight so I am back to 100% public (with the exception of a supplemental drug plan I pay $60 per quarter for).

I think public healthcare is a no-brainer; if for no other reason than the economy - the numbers don't lie, there is a massive economy of scale in public healthcare.

[Agent 488]

seen it from the inside for the last few years. if it is serious you get in immediately. treatment was good to excellent. what americans see is anti-health care propaganda - usually a few crazy cat-lady types who complain for a living or cranks who think the guy at 7-11 is poisoning his nachos.

[Vendzilla]

I just wish this was something we voted on, not shoved down our throats

[alias]

Lol @ crazy cat-lady types

[kicks]

I am curious to know if there is regular Health Insurance in Canada? I have never heard anyone saying there was. Just wondering how Canada dealt with the existing Health Insurance companies when they went with government health care.

[coolegg2]

Originally Posted by kicks

I am curious to know if there is regular Health Insurance in Canada? I have never heard anyone saying there was. Just wondering how Canada dealt with the existing Health Insurance companies when they went with government health care.

Supplemental Health Care Insurance is big business up here. Keep in mind the public system does not cover prescription drugs, also you pay extra for things like private hospital rooms, physiotherapy/chiropractic (depending on each province's rules), mobility aids and so on. So insurance to cover those extra costs exists and is big business. And just like the USA, sometimes it can be a group plan through your employer.

[Agent 488]

Originally Posted by Vendzilla

I just wish this was something we voted on, not shoved down our throats

i'm sure the majority of americans would love it shoved down their throats.

[Twistys Tim]

My experience with the Canadian health care system is limited to the births and care of my two sons -- and I really cannot commend the system enough.

When our sons' were born, we had a private birthing room, 1-on-1 nursing, and the very highest level of obstetrician care (three doctors for my first -- including the head of obstetrics at the hospital, and two for the second). My first was born during the world cup, and they even had a dad's room set up with live coverage of the games

When I have had to take my eldest son to the hospital for stomach upsets, etc. they have taken care of him quickly and with the utmost care and attention.

I really have no complaints.

[GTS Mark]

Originally Posted by WiredGuy

System itself is great, the only problem is the wait times.
WG

Quoted for truth

[OrangeContent]

No problems, I was in for ear surgery (hockey accident lmfao) and out in one piece.

Now the wait time was extreme, but my life WAS NOT in danger... had it been, I bet I'd be rushed in ;)

[Bryan G]

The Canadian health care system is great as far as I'm concerned. No complaints what so ever.

[xxxdesign-net]

emergency rooms here are crap... often only one doc working after 9pm or so in big hospitals... if its a big night with a lot of heavy cases coming in ambulances, those people will have to wait..

[JimmiDean]

My father in law had chest pains on the golf course a few months ago, he wnet in for tests and had open heart surgery within a week.
Double bypass and a heart valve put in.
the surgery was performed by the chief surgeon at the Ottawa heart institute.
He is now better then ever.
Total cost other then the taxes we all pay.
A few dollars at a parking meter.
On another note I seperated my should (again) a while back, reset in emergeny, pain killers , bandages and they even validated my parking total wait two hours.
It sure work from my view.

[Twistys Tim]

Originally Posted by xxxdesign-net

emergency rooms here are crap... often only one doc working after 9pm or so in big hospitals... if its a big night with a lot of heavy cases coming in ambulances, those people will have to wait..

If you were seriously ill you would not have to wait. But if you were there because your knee was painful, and a guy comes in with chest pains then he will jump to the front of the queue.

[StuartD]

My wife ended up on 6 months bedrest with our second child... the last 4 weeks of it was in the hospital. All the way through it I could see our family doctor and obgyn at a moments notice anytime and once we gave them the word that the pain was too bad, they got us a semi-private room at the hospital and moved her in.
The entire stay didn't cost us a dime except for my parking fees when I visited and after she gave birth to my baby, her second c-section, we put the family into the van and went home. Again, it cost me parking.

Any time anyone in my family needs a doctor, we see our family doctor that day.

That's not to say that I haven't heard my share of horror stories about having to wait. I just haven't seen it personally but we other than my boy's being born, we haven't had many huge medical issues.

[xxxdesign-net]

Originally Posted by Twistys Tim

If you were seriously ill you would not have to wait. But if you were there because your knee was painful, and a guy comes in with chest pains then he will jump to the front of the queue.

nah.. I was there one night for something kinda minor and waited an insane amount of time... but at around 10pm or so about 5 patients came in (ambulances) with heart problems and some of them had to wait with the ambulance techs since there weren't any docs for them...

[Vendzilla]

Originally Posted by budsbabes

i'm sure the majority of americans would love it shoved down their throats.

Sure, the people that can't afford insurance would love it, but they don't care about what the cost will do to everyone else in taxes. I think this is something that needs to be voted on. They need to come up with a plan, then have us vote on it, right now, they have their collective heads up their asses

[Tanker]

I can tell you from an Americans point of view now living in Canada

I would say if you were ever in the US military and had to use the health care system you would find it to be a similar experience.

I have not waited for anything.

Ellisa got liquid soap in her eye that caused a chemical burn on her cornea and when I took her to the emergency room she waited for 1 person ahead of her to go and then she was treated.


When I need to go see a doc in the morning because I am sick with a cold or flu I go to any one of hundreds of health clinics in the GTA and get taken care of.

There are about 20 in my local area and I can go to one and if its full I simply drive down the street to another.

I have a family practitioner and I have never paid them a penny other then our normal taxes.

You can get extra health coverage to cover the rest of the things that are not covered for cheap I think for our family its 200$ a month and that covers anything else we need!


The service in Canada is just as good as I have ever got in the USA and it has cost me FAR less

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by Vendzilla

Sure, the people that can't afford insurance would love it, but they don't care about what the cost will do to everyone else in taxes. I think this is something that needs to be voted on. They need to come up with a plan, then have us vote on it, right now, they have their collective heads up their asses

You vote for a president and congress . That happens on a "regular" basis....

Did you even vote for the IRAQ war ????

[theking]

Originally Posted by Vendzilla

Sure, the people that can't afford insurance would love it, but they don't care about what the cost will do to everyone else in taxes. I think this is something that needs to be voted on. They need to come up with a plan, then have us vote on it, right now, they have their collective heads up their asses

One poll shows that 46% of Americans do not support the President's/Congress current plan.

BTW...for anyone that does not think that all Americans have medical care when it is needed...they do have. They always have the emergency room care available to them and can pay whatever they can afford to pay...at the bill...which is going to be expensive as emergency room care will be in the hundreds of dollars even when one may just be suffering with something as minor as a severe cold. Many do not even pay at the bill let alone pay the bill...and means that the cost is actually picked up by others in that it drives hospital costs up as well as insurance costs. For those that do not have money...or insurance...they do not practice preventive care and must rely upon emergency room care.

[Vendzilla]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

You vote for a president and congress . That happens on a "regular" basis....

Did you even vote for the IRAQ war ????

thats why exactly! or are you missing somehthing?

[fuzebox]

I personally haven't had many good experiences with canada's system, and would gladly pay less taxes for the privilege of paying for a no-wait private hospital. I'm sure I'm in the minority though.

[Itchy]

Originally Posted by WiredGuy

System itself is great, the only problem is the wait times.
WG

I agree some things you wait forever and others you are in right away

[IllTestYourGirls]

How many illegal immigrants does Canada have? USA "free" healthcare will be NOTHING like Canada's. We will be flooded with illegal immigrants (like the US isnt already) but wait until they really make health "care" "free" here in the US. I would not want to live in a border state thats for sure. Your waits in those cities will be years long LOL.

[coolegg2]

Originally Posted by IllTestYourGirls

How many illegal immigrants does Canada have? USA "free" healthcare will be NOTHING like Canada's. We will be flooded with illegal immigrants (like the US isnt already) but wait until they really make health "care" "free" here in the US. I would not want to live in a border state thats for sure. Your waits in those cities will be years long LOL.

That is a good point. We don't have the same illegal immigrant problem you folks have. That is because we have federal payroll taxes and batallions of tax auditors. Illegal immigrants can only get under-the-radar type of jobs, which are much more rare here in Canada, because for a business to do it requires large-scale tax fraud on multiple levels.

I've never understood why you guys don't use the power of the IRS to fix your illegal immigration problem. It worked on Al Capone (well not quite the same scenario). Pass a modest federal payroll tax, so now each employee needs a SSN to get a legit job. Then send auditors to workplaces unannounced and ask each employee to identify themselves. Every undocumented employee is a $5k fine for the company, plus a thorough combing of the company books to figure out how their wages went unrecorded, major tax fraud, so more fines. Voila, no more jobs for illegal immigrants, so no illegal immigrants. My theory is the Republicans don't want an easy fix like that, bad for business - perhaps the Democrats too.

I know this will rankle the feathers of the Republican hawks out there, but it turns out a bit of regulation does make for a better country and better economy. I suspect Obama knows this and has the right idea, but it remains to be seen if he has the balls to match.

[CIVMatt]

protip: this country is bankrupt

[Jman]

I love I am fully covered and prescriptions as well

As for waiting time, well since I got my iphone I could not care less, I can do my sites updates, monitor the forums, emails... Basically I am working but instead of home I am in a clinic.

[Twistys Tim]

Originally Posted by coolegg2

That is a good point. We don't have the same illegal immigrant problem you folks have. That is because we have federal payroll taxes and batallions of tax auditors. Illegal immigrants can only get under-the-radar type of jobs, which are much more rare here in Canada, because for a business to do it requires large-scale tax fraud on multiple levels.

I've never understood why you guys don't use the power of the IRS to fix your illegal immigration problem. It worked on Al Capone (well not quite the same scenario). Pass a modest federal payroll tax, so now each employee needs a SSN to get a legit job. Then send auditors to workplaces unannounced and ask each employee to identify themselves. Every undocumented employee is a $5k fine for the company, plus a thorough combing of the company books to figure out how their wages went unrecorded, major tax fraud, so more fines. Voila, no more jobs for illegal immigrants, so no illegal immigrants. My theory is the Republicans don't want an easy fix like that, bad for business - perhaps the Democrats too.

I know this will rankle the feathers of the Republican hawks out there, but it turns out a bit of regulation does make for a better country and better economy. I suspect Obama knows this and has the right idea, but it remains to be seen if he has the balls to match.

Many industries rely on illegal workers to operate. In California, for example, virtually the entire agriculture industry is reliant on transient illegal works for planting and harvesting -- and the illegal workers are essential for the operation and profitability of that industry (as no Americans are prepared to work that hard for so little).

[CDSmith]

Originally Posted by IllTestYourGirls

How many illegal immigrants does Canada have? USA "free" healthcare will be NOTHING like Canada's. We will be flooded with illegal immigrants (like the US isnt already) but wait until they really make health "care" "free" here in the US. I would not want to live in a border state thats for sure. Your waits in those cities will be years long LOL.

We have 1/10th the population of the US, and although we do have our share of illegal immigrants it's of course nothing close to what you have down there. However, the proper way for a health care system such as ours to handle non-citizens is to charge them a user fee.

Here in Canada if you're a Canadian citizen and you need to head to the emergency room for something, maybe a stay on a ward for a few nights to recover or whatever, it costs you nothing, there is no bill of any kind when you leave. But if you're a non-canadian and thus not covered under our medical care system you still get treated but it's going to cost you. I don't know what the cost is but you do have to pay something.

That's the way to handle that issue.

Speaking of non-Canadians using our medical services, here's quote from wikipedia I found interesting....

Rarely mentioned, is the use of Canadian medical facilities by relatives of Canadian citizens living in the USA, either US citizens or Canadian ex-pats. Many of the aforesaid will routinely use Canadian addresses to make use of Canadian hospital out-patients facilities, adding to the concern with wait-times in Canadian hospitals.

When comparing the health care systems of the G8 nations Canada ranks 2nd behind Australia. USA is ranked 8th (last).

With regard to people mentioning wait times there's a common misnomer. Wait times mostly pertain to when you need to see a specialist of some type. If your case is non-life-threatening then yes there's usually a wait time of a month or three, depending on the specialy your treatment involves. With regard to ER visits though, if your case is serious enough you get routed into treatment immediately. Arrive by ambulence and you're in (again, if it's serious enough).

I worked in the Canadian health care system for 15 years, on cardiac medicine, geriatrics, stroke & amputee ward, neuroscience, intensive care, even put in a few years in the ER. I once took a guy for a CT scan that came in complaining of a bad headache. He'd never had headaches before so this was abnormal for him --- off to the scanner rooms with him. I don't know how it turned out for him but I do know that when he was released there was no bill, no money owing, nothing.

People knock our system for a lot of things, it's not perfect by any stretch, but every time I see an American on the boards saying they had a long hospital stay due to illness or a bad accident or whatever and they now owe $50k, $80k, $200k etc because they don't have insurance, I thank GOD for our system where no matter what happens, you're covered. And our level of care is as high or higher than anywhere else.

Sorry, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Improve it yes, but trade it? Not a chance.

[ShellyCrash]

I remember last time I had kidney stones waiting for over an hour to be seen and having to jungle crawl across an ER floor so I could vomit in a toilet instead of all over myself or someone else. My legs were tremmoring too bad from the pain to stand. It was absolutely fucking horrid, and that was in the US on a weekday.

They knew I had kidney stones in the past, it wasn't a new diagnosis. All I needed was 15 minutes of a nurse's time, a bed and a shot of demerol. After that you can leave me for hours for the IVP, just don't leave me in that pain. It's fucking incredible.

[quiet]

here's my experience:

for minor things, our system rocks. 5 years ago when i broke my ankle, which then developed into a pulmonary embolism, and i spent over a month in a hospital, i was pissed. it was a horrible experience. if something like that happens again, i would definitely bypass the system and ship myself out to private heathcare, and pay the huge costs instead.

but again, for anything non-life threatening, our system works great.

[BestXXXPorn]

First you need to ask the Canadians how they like their government and government run institutions... A hell of a lot better than the US average I imagine...

Tell me... given the choice would you send a package UPS, FedEx, or USPS?

Nobody every says USPS because they fucking suck. Yet that's what we're gonna get and middle class and above are going to pay for it while everyone else gets it for free. Oh and since there's not enough health care providers to begin with now they'll all be over crowded and wait times will get longer for everyone for all sorts of treatments.

Meanwhile only the rich will be able to afford private healthcare and no wait times; promoting a larger gap between income levels...

The problem with our healthcare in the first place is because of government interference. Because of the way they handle taxes on income it doesn't make sense to go outside of your employer to get healthcare. So now they've created a system where healthcare providers pitch to companies about the savings they'll get.

Instead, why not remove all the shitty government regulation and make it so that healthcare providers sell to individuals, not companies. Then you'd see a better healthcare system. Individuals ask questions like, "what services and benefits will you offer me over the other guy?" Not questions like many employers such as, "how can I save money on this healthcare plan so I'm not paying as much for my employees"...

[Thomas1007]

I've never had a problem with our healthcare system.

[seeandsee]

i just prey for health

[DaddyHalbucks]

How many Canadians are happy with their health
...care system?
+++++++++++++

That's the wrong question.

The right question is: how many Canadians are coming to the US for their health care needs because the waiting lines are too long in Canada?

[d-null]

I don't like how you can't get extra services or order tests for yourself if you do the research and know what you are doing..... in the U.S., organizations like life extension foundation allow you to order all kinds of tests for yourself and keep track of your own health, in Canada it is not allowed, it is against the law in Canada....

also there are many brand new diagnostic machines that are in many U.S. hospitals that you can't get in Canada because they cost too much.

[the Shemp]

i was diagnosed with blood cancer at 3pm on a thursday, in a small medical clinic, 60 miles from Vancouver...3 hours later i was in a private room at the Vancouver General Hospital, Leukemia center...i had a meeting with a hemotologist and an oncologist within an hour, outlining the procedures ahead...friday moring they operated on me and inserted a three tap catheter into my chest....Later that day the final results came in from my bloodwork tests and the type of my Leukemia was identified... next morning chemotherapy started...and i was in the private isolation room for 6 weeks...after that i was a day patient getting treatment daily, but able to go home each nite..

i was going to need a bone marrow transplant and fortunately for me, 7 months later a suitable bone marrow donor was found in Germany... a member of the transplant team from Vancouver flew there to get the stem cells that i would need to survive...

i was given the transplant and again i was in the bone marrow transplant unit for almost 7 weeks...of course my body tried to reject the bone marrow many times over the next two years and i was really a basket case with a ton of side effects, some of which i still have today...but with new anti rejection drugs and hands on attention from a team of dedicated professionals, i was able to keep alive...

the cost for treatment like this in Seattle is over 300K...my cost in Canada, was the parking meter and a new pair of glasses and i still have full medical insurance...they dont kick you out if you have previous medical problems...its a good system, not perfect of course, but i never had to fight with an insurance company or worry about losing my house to pay for the transplant...in fact, i didnt even have to start a begging thread on GFY

[WhiplashDug]

Look, the Canadian system is pretty good, far better than the British from what I've heard. My mom's side are all Canadian, so I get a lot of good info. Out of that huge French-Catholic family, there have been 4 or 5 of them who have come to the states and paid cash for some procedures they could not get done in Canada for like 18 months and they decided not to wait. A couple more who came for something that wasn't available. And a couple who living in the states went home for some stuff as well. Is there adequate care in Canada? yes, of course. But as noted by a few, if you want really good coverage for the many things the government doesn't cover - it will run you about $200 a month.

In the States, basic care is not provided, people must pay or have insurance. However, for whatever needs, by law, no-one in the states can be denied treatment when needed, doesn't matter if they can pay or not. Is the care here in the States better? yeah, probably. Only time you wait for something here is in an emergency room. Everything else can usually be scheduled within days. Also some of the larger research hospitals will offer treatments and care that you cannot get anywhere else in the world. But without insurance, no one in the states can afford that care type of care. That's the type of care that would clean someone out.

But.. in the states, anyone can buy their own insurance. I had a policy that just covered me. I had to pay 80% of the bill up to $3600 a year. After that, i paid nothing. That cost me $56 a month. How is that not affordable?

Now, both systems have problems. But the concept of trying to push a system conversion at this point is just plain stupidity and will cost far too much money. Money that America just doesn't have. If America keeps falling deeper in debt by spending money like this, it is looking at $3-4 trillion dollars in deficits by middle of 2010 and possible 13% unemployment. The dollar will begin to devalue and the American consumer will be consuming even less than it is now and the res tof the world economy will continue to slow and recede.

It would make far more sense to create a new type of insurance plan that the government would pay for in the form of a tax credit. For anyone who makes less than $100k a year for example, could participate in a group plan that offered set benefits. If they paid their premiums all year, they just turn in the receipts at the end of the year and get a tax credit for those costs.

[12clicks]

I'd say the Canadian government did a fantastic job lowering the expectations of it's citizens.
When you start excusing wait times because it's "non-life threatening" you're getting something significantly less than US medical care.