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 :icon_biggrin: :icon_cool:


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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 :icon_eek: . 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]

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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]

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]

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]

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.

[remicks]

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?

This is exactly why I'm asking ....if anyone ought to know .... it'd be you all !!!

Because we are certainly being told otherwise here.

I am noticing that no one yet is saying "oh no, you don't have to wait, that's an exaggeration "
This is an important issue. With health care timing is crucial .



By the time they are through with all the "compromising" needed in Washington to get everyone on board -the pharmaceuticals, the insurance companies , the hospitals, etc. .... it'll wind up being a far cry from the real reform needed ....some milk toast solution that therefore will be full of holes and lacking cohesion and doomed for failure.

Our system is broke ....no doubt ... But I want them to REALLY fix it.



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[discokicks]

I am noticing that no one yet is saying "oh no, you don't have to wait, that's an exaggeration "
This is an important issue. With health care timing is crucial . ******

These menacing ideas of "waiting" are a good way to throw fear into the American public. It's the one argument that those in opposition to universal healthcare can throw out there that they know will grab the American public's attention...mix in the word "socialism" and you've got a winning formula.

If there is any "waiting", it is strictly because of budget restraints within our health system...certainly not from lack of compassion. Our population is aging and there are more demands on heath needs. Any of that "wait time" is not and has never been because of any government interference in regards to what they will allow for each of its citizens. This is the kind of fear that has been put into Americans...that government bureaucracy will not allow you to have certain surgery or it will dictate which doctor or hospital you're allowed to visit....totally and absolutely not true in regards to Canada's health care.

This situation, however, is true within the American system when dealing with private insurance plans and organizations. My American doctor friend spends a large part of his day sweet-talking and arguing with his patients' HMOs over certain treatments and prescriptions that he needs to implement and what will be allowed through those individuals' health care plans.

[remicks]

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discokicks I thank you so much for helping me wade through this :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool:

NOW THE GOOD NEWS !!:icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin:

I just listened to President Obama speaking live on the radio (from another town becuase our one and only local hillbilly station didn't carry it ) answering questions about his plan and addressing these types of concerns.
All I can say is THANK THE STARS WE'VE FINALLY GOT AN INTELLIGENT PRESIDENT
After eight miserable years it almost seems like a miracle that we have such a hands on caring President .... ...


.Not only can he process such giant issues (and wants to)

.....he can also stand before the American people and articulate them!!!


Hallelujah




new note to remicks:

.....don't spend even one ounce of your thought processes concerning this issue based on anything you hear from b*ttholes like Hannity and Ingram and O'Reilly . Scr*w them.


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can you imagine where we'd be if we'd gotten stuck with McCain ,his trophy wife and his trophy VP ........

[discokicks]

The other argument for universal health care that seems to get overlooked is the virtual monkey off your back in regards to choosing employment and ultimately the direction of how you want your life to go.

With private health care, one would source out an employer with a good health plan and that's where big corporations have an advantage. I would think that smaller, independent businesses would have to struggle to get themselves decent health plan packages in order to woo good employees and for those who don't want to work within the strict, cold environment of the corporate world, you'd have to make some hard decisions about taking employment elsewhere and taking lesser health benefits.

And where does all of this leave the entrepreneurial-minded?

Four years ago, I chose to go into business on my own...fed up with having someone looking over my shoulder. It was a difficult decision to cut myself off from a constant paycheque but I couldn't see living my life any other way. The one thing that didn't haunt me though was what do I do about health care.

America boasts about being the land of the free...where dreams come true and "only in America" can you go from rags to riches. I wonder just how many budding entrepreneurs and talented freelancers are trapped within jobs they hate and not being able to live out their dreams all because of private health care.

[originalbigm]

According to the UN life expectancy stats for the period 2005-2010

Canada ranks 11th with an average of 80.7 years

US ranks 38th with an average of 78.2 years

The US critics also fail to talk about drug coverage in our health system. Each province has a provincial government plan that households with income of $100,000 or less can subscribe to which is based on earnings. Based on your family earnings if you don't have a company benefit plan or the plan partially covers you.You are assessed a deductible amount.

e.g. For a family of three or more with household income of $6500 or less - $150.00 up to a family income of $100,000 -$3889.

After you pay the deductible the province pays for your drugs entirely. You simply pay a dispensing fee of $2.00 per prescription.

drugcoverage.ca - - Prescription Drug Coverage in Canada


I agree with others that our system isn't perfect but overall it works pretty well. No one in Canada is uninsured and wait times are assessed on urgency. Is it life threatening or not. From personal experience I had a liver transplant 12 years ago. Cost would have been $250,000. My cost $0. I'm doing fine and I had the best care one could ask for.