How Horrible Is CANADA's Health Care System??

[remicks]

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Here in the United States , the conservative talk radio spokesholes have gone into overdrive presenting the horror stories related to Canada's Health Care System.

They are hellbent in scaring Americans from wanting any type of system remotely related to Canada's ... and some of their points do cause one to pause.

Discomusic.com members from Canada ...

What say you ????

What are your experiences with your current system (do you like it??) and what would you advise us here in the US regarding our path toward a revised health care system???????


THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT


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[BrunoRepublic]

It's not perfect, but a flawed health care system is far better than none at all.

[kdavid13]

I agree...Let's just say it's not what it used to be but still so many of my American friends often say : "You're so lucky...".

[Videoskooter]

Remmy, I never told you but I'm a Canadian!

Just kiddin' but please read this article as we have one of the best systems in the world (maybe the Scandinavian countries are even better):

Belgian healthcare system < Healthcare | Expatica Belgium

[discokicks]

This is a topic that's near and dear to my heart having dated an American doctor for the past five years. He hates the American system and is all for universal health care.

Canada's health care may have its flaws but I got firsthand experience over the last few years with both my father and my oldest sister dealing with their cancer treatments, hospital visits and eventual demise. I feel that they received the best care you could ask for and their lives were treated with respect and dignity. Thankfully, none of us in the family had the slightest worry about facing financial restraints. In my opinion, it is a crime to add financial worry to those who are in their hours of physical and emotional distress. Any American who wants to convince me otherwise needn't bother.

The caring of our wellbeing as humans should not be big business but that's exactly what it is in the states. The result is an emphasis on sales and profit...on dressing up the physical buildings and hiring the finest advertising agencies to woo potential customers and defeat the competition. I'm pretty certain that within Canada's healthcare system, there is little need for a large, savvy marketing department.

[remicks]

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Thank you for those responses !! Even yours VS !!! Hope to learn even more !

The march continues:
There was a Canadian woman on FOX today going into great detail about her need for back surgery .....took her nine months just for the first appt . just to first see somebody about it .... she was using a walker and in great pain .... had to have her kids sit on the dining table in order to hug them ... and they first told her she was "too young" to make the list ...that older patients needed to to be in line before her . Even when approved the entire ordeal took three years before she had her discs worked on.
Of course I could find endless horror-storied antidotes about our current health care system here too ...


It does sounds like though that there is a lot of "waiting" before being seen and treated in your system up there.
Is that so??



What I don't like is this " urgency" in which our new system is being created here in the US . I think politically the sense is that rushing something through , gets the job done....
the more things are debated, the more likely the people are to actually think and react to what is going on.

Urgently attack Iraq ...
urgently " save" the banks ...
urgently pass health care reform ...


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[discokicks]

Originally Posted by remicks

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The march continues:
There was a Canadian woman on FOX today going into great detail about her need for back surgery .....took her nine months just for the first appt . just to first see somebody about it *****

Remicks...I know that you can't fully believe the propaganda hurled out from the Fox Noise network. Incidences may happen like this woman's but there may be extenuating circumstances that they've conveniently left out too. Michael Moore was certainly able to collect up lots of private healthcare horror stories for his movie Sicko to counter any right-wing arguments.

This is an interesting read...

Fox Noise on Canadian private insurance boom ~ Angry Bear

[remicks]

Originally Posted by discokicks

Remicks...I know that you can't fully believe the propaganda hurled out from the Fox Noise network. Incidences may happen like this woman's but there may be extenuating circumstances that they've conveniently left out too. Michael Moore was certainly able to collect up lots of private healthcare horror stories for his movie Sicko to counter any right-wing arguments.

This is an interesting read...

Fox Noise on Canadian private insurance boom ~ Angry Bear

Thanks DK . but was that read supposed to make me feel any better ???????

That's another thing being pointed out about Canada .....
you wait and wait and wait ...
.... unless you are able to wave around some cash .....



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[BrunoRepublic]

Originally Posted by remicks

That's another thing being pointed out about Canada .....
you wait and wait and wait ...
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Whereas in the USA, you don't bother to wait, because you know you just can't afford it anyway.

I have American friends with health problems that they can't get treatment for, because they either have no coverage and can't afford it, or they do have coverage but their HMO doesn't cover the treatments they need.

I have heard my friends in the USA say things like "I need surgery but I just can't afford it". That such a thing could be said in a developed nation is appalling to me.

Canada is a democracy (in many ways more democratic than the USA). If we really disliked the health care system here, we'd have got rid of it a long time ago. But if you ask around, you'll find that most Canadians -- like all of the ones here, for a start -- will strongly defend it. Most of us will reject any suggestion that the American system (or lack thereof) is somehow better. Isn't it funny how most of these people who are the first to put down the Canadian system have never lived in Canada?

[kdavid13]

Originally Posted by BrunoRepublic

Whereas in the USA, you don't bother to wait, because you know you just can't afford it anyway.

I have American friends with health problems that they can't get treatment for, because they either have no coverage and can't afford it, or they do have coverage but their HMO doesn't cover the treatments they need.

I have heard my friends in the USA say things like "I need surgery but I just can't afford it". That such a thing could be said in a developed nation is appalling to me.

Canada is a democracy (in many ways more democratic than the USA). If we really disliked the health care system here, we'd have got rid of it a long time ago. But if you ask around, you'll find that most Canadians -- like all of the ones here, for a start -- will strongly defend it. Most of us will reject any suggestion that the American system (or lack thereof) is somehow better. Isn't it funny how most of these people who are the first to put down the Canadian system have never lived in Canada?

If you look and dig deep enough - you will always find flaws and naysayers...but having this health care system has been a blessing as far as I am concerned.Yet somehow it's easy to take it for granted.Flash the card and take a seat and then - the biggest worry will be "How long am I gonna have to wait in line ?".

The last thing you should worry about when you're down & out is how am I gonna pay for this or even worse - "Can I even afford to think about getting better" ? This is heartbreaking - to realize that some people fall through the cracks because they do not have the means or the insurance to cover their expenses.

Having seen firsthand Canadians get sick while being abroad - whenever I come back here - I count my blessings.