Thread: Canada's amazing health care system is not so amazing after all.

Yet another thinly disguised attack upon the concept of Universal Health Care by the 'I'm not going to pay to save some lazy bum's life!' brigade. My estimation of US society sinks with every such topic I encounter. But then it is bouyed by the number of Americans who tell these selfish bastards the truth. God bless America!

Originally Posted by Bowerbird

That is what I understand too - it varies from province to province

sounds like RomneyCare, at state level... why we need it at a federal level

Originally Posted by robini123

Have your Canadian friends lived in the U.S. for any real length of time? And you said a key phrase "rudimentary care"... but ask them about the waiting period to see specialist. People in BC can wait months, in Boise I never waited more than 3 days.

you come from a small center like Boise and think that represents how wait times are everywhere how naive....let's see what someone who knows what they're talking about has to say on the issue of US wait times....Speaking to the Aetna Investor's Conference 2007, Troy Brennan let these nuggets drop:

The U.S. "healthcare system is not timely."
Recent statistics from the Institution of Healthcare Improvement document "that people are waiting an average of about 70 days to see a provider."
"In many circumstances people initially diagnosed with cancer are waiting over a month, which is intolerable."
In his former stint as an administrator and head of a physicians' organization he spent much of his time trying "to find appointments for people with doctors."



Business Week, no great fan of a national healthcare system, reported in late June that "as several surveys and numerous anecdotes show, waiting times in the U.S. are often as bad or worse as those in other industrialized nations -- despite the fact that the U.S. spends considerably more per capita on health care than any other country."

Statistics Canada's latest figures show that median wait times for elective surgery in Canada is now three weeks -- that's less time than Aetna's chief medical officer says Americans typically wait after being diagnosed with cancer.in my brothers case it was one day after he saw an oncologist...but he lives in a small center like Boise..

no one in critical pain or injury is denied access to a specialist if required so quit with the anecdotal evidence/lies from people who know nothing...my recent encounters with specialists for immediate treatment were, Neurologist, next day...Orthopedics, next day...Podiatrist, same day...and none of those instances were life threatening but rated higher than "I'm not feeling well"...and I live in a city 5 times the size of Boise

here's an article from Businessweek and what it had to say about US wait times..."The doctor will see you in three months"
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/...n-three-months

People resist change and Americans certainly have no monopoly on it. And waiting times to see a specialist, high charges to fill out paperwork, and gaps in the coverage system are far from isolated here in BC

more lies or just plain naive on how things work...Medical administration costs are more than 3 times higher in the US than Canada, administration/paperwork charges are hidden in the premiums you pay...who do think pays those charges, do actually believe they do it for free?...

a link to the New England Journal of Medicine on comparative administration costs in the USA and Canada...
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa022033

How many people in Canada go bankrupt over medical debt? How many if they are in an accident cannot get into an ER? What about the fact they don't want a system like the US either they might complain but do they want to give up their medical system for ours?

Originally Posted by tkolter

How many people in Canada go bankrupt over medical debt? How many if they are in an accident cannot get into an ER?

it bankruptcy can't happen because of surgical or hospital costs...it could happen if the patient needs drugs that are not covered by health plans...but there is nothing to prevent people from getting private insurance to cover/lower drug costs...there are ongoing discussions about bringing drugs into a national plan...

bankruptcy could also happen because the person is no longer able to work but that isn't heath cares fault and there are insurances plans for that...

What about the fact they don't want a system like the US either they might complain but do they want to give up their medical system for ours?

potential political suicide for anyone who wants to explore/suggest that...there are options in Canada for private care but it's a struggling industry catering to the rich and needy(pampered) but even among the wealthy who can afford private care 75% prefer to keep the public plan...

I guess I was wrong about wanting Universal Health Care!

Originally Posted by drj90210

Yup. The grass is greener on the other side. However, once you find yourself on the "other side" it's a different story entirely. People don't know how good they have it in America.



Law states that a hospital cannot deny medical care to a person regardless of their ability to pay the bill. If this is truly a "problem" regarding supposed lack of care, then it has already been solved.

The only people who have it good in america, medically wise, are upper middle class who can afford to pay most medical bills without insurance.

Originally Posted by Daggdag

The only people who have it good in america, medically wise, are upper middle class who can afford to pay most medical bills without insurance.

I disagree. For many years I made poverty level wages and still had great health insurance, low deductibles, and $5 to 10$ prescriptions. Also those on SSD get good coverage.

Originally Posted by tkolter

How many people in Canada go bankrupt over medical debt? How many if they are in an accident cannot get into an ER? What about the fact they don't want a system like the US either they might complain but do they want to give up their medical system for ours?

Nobody goes bankrupt over medical debt in Canada.

If a patient cannot afford the prescription drugs required, there are programs in every province to provide them for a nominal processing fee. The program is called Trillium in Ontario and the fee is $2.00 per script.

Nobody is turned away from an ER. We have a really good triage system for hospital ER's in Ontario. I had a heart attack last year, went to a very crowded ER and was admitted after waiting 1 minute - literally. Had a stent put in, spent three days in hospital, got my first scripts (6) free, met with two cardiologists, a nutritionist, a pharmacist, a physical therapist before release AND had 6 months of a coronary rehab program without paying a cent.

Our system ain't perfect, but it does a decent job particularly for the per capita expenditures.

double post.