The Truth about health care in Canada (by request)

I received a message in my inbox asking me to do a post about the state of health care in Canada.....Here's is what I can tell you:
This is a big country, and you can find people to say just about anything with regards to just about everything...So you will find people who (for whatever reason) will say that our health care system is causing people to die in the streets for lack of care...This is ludicrous...I have heard or read things said by people advocating for privatization of our health care system, that
are completely false..I can tell you that in my family, my husband had care from one of the top heart specialists in the world (he's in Toronto), and successful and timely cataract surgery....We do have to wait for elective surgery, but I've never heard of anyone dying for needed surgery...You already know about our drugs and the vast difference in prices here and in your country...I have heard American politicians on TV say things in order to scare the American public....They say we don't have a choice in the doctor we want...FALSE...We choose our own....I myself have changed doctors in the past several years...And all Canadians have access to all specialists, treatments, and surgery.....They say the Government runs health care and makes all the decisions...Again FALSE....The doctors and hospitals run things and send the bills to the government for payment...Period...The most recent poll I know of on the subject shows that (I forget the exact amount) somewhere between 90% to 95% of Canadians want to keep our present system.....We aren't perfect and can certainly be improved, and the government has recently done a study and as a result is putting more money into the system, but I honestly wish the good people of your country would have the benefit of a similar system....By the way, during the last few days I saw in the news the case of the American man who accidentally shot himself in the head with a nail gun...They said he has no insurance and is stuck with a bill of $100,000....That is insane.....Anyway, I've gone on long enough about
this....Don't let anyone convince you Canadians want to go to privatization....It's just not true.....Good luck...

P.S...In a big country like this, there are bound to occasionally be people who slip through the cracks for some reason or other...So I'm sure there will be some who will have a story to tell of a failure...

it sucks.

Ontario insurance! that sounds great!

gods I want to go north so BAD!!!!!!!!!

:kick:

Keep the Truth flowing!

We need to keep doing what the MSM is afraid to do and question your government untill we hear the full truth!

Canada has this health care system and yet (get ready to not believe this) they collect LESS tax revenue per person than the USA and they have run a surplus for the last seven years.

http://www.fin.gc.ca/news04/04-065e.html

edit because I found the stat I was looking for:

27. United States $6702.42 per person
38. Canada $5545.35 per person

Believe it or not!
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/eco_bud_rev_cap

...invading other countries either. If they ever decide to, I hope were first on their list. I won't put up a fight, honest.

your post. It is as you say, good but could be better with some tweaking. Canadians overwhelmingly support keeping the system we have and improving it rather than privatizing it.

Not even King Ralph of Alberta dares to speak too loosely about "privatization" of health care...

not after the debacle that happened after he privatized car insurance and electricity...

and now after the last election, even the hated Liberals are resurgent in Alberta...

speaks volumes...

pay a large deductible and 20% of the bill. We really need a system like the Canadian system. Our for profit system doesn't take care of those who need health care, the sick and elderly.

Bottom line and all that....

what?

the "Greatest Canadian" in a CBC national contest. (Yes, even greater than Gretzky.)

So that says something about what we think of public healthcare.

http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/

...usually in the form or alternative therapies. For example naturopaths, accupuncturists, midwives/doulahs (in some provinces) and chiropractors are not covered by the federal systerm.

I love our system, it does need some help, but generally it works and works well.

Chiropractors are partially funded by Alberta Health; to the tune of $20-25 for 13 visits.

And also here, one can get acupuncture for free as long as it's through a physiotherapy clinc and for a specific physical problem, such as an injury or chronic pain (which is what I'm getting). Seven visits are covered, but the physiotherapist-acupuncturist can also apply for an extension if one's case is severe.

It's not the same as visiting a TCM practitioner, but it's helpful especially when you can't afford to go private.

I think the best example of private care is dentists. I wish dental visits and work were covered.

:kick:

the next time the health care astroturf spreaders come around I can reference it for their information.

;-)

:kick:

my "snowbird" Canadian friends tell me.

tell me that the horror stories you read about are isolated incidents (such as we have right here in the good ol' U.S. of A) or are simply fabrications. (They do say that the NHS is underfunded.)

One American who lived in England for nine years told me that during the controversy about Clinton's health care proposal, he saw a "horror story" quoting The London Sun as an authoritative source. He said that most Americans had no idea that The London Sun is the equivalent of a supermarket tabloid.

As I recall from what people have told me, under the British system, medical personnel are employed directly by the government, but that is not the case in Canada.

Of course it's not perfect and of course there are problems,but I sure prefer it to what the good folks south of the border deal with.