Originally Posted by AZjeff
Amazing how a thread morphs to Canuck and news network bashing....
StevieC, are you proud of your healthcare system? I ask because I knew a Canadian mailman some years ago who was unable to get elective knee surgery (because it wasn't emergency surgery not because it wasn't needed) and was on some kind of disability. He blamed the govment health care and was quite bitter about it. Any better now?
As I have stated before there is a lot of complainers. I have chronic health problems one of which included a severe back injury that left me unable to walk for a year. I had 0 issues getting the MRI and other tests / imaging needed and the recovery physio etc. Our one sales representative on my team just had both knees done a few months apart from one another, she was fine but had some pain. She waited 6 months from time of diagnosis to time of getting it done. She was at work full time able to work, just a bit uncomfortable is all. I don't think that's an issue considering she didn't have to mortgage her house, have her insurance claim denied, declare bunkruptcy, or pay some really high health premium for a private plan that would have covered her.
Now I know what you will say... But you pay high taxes. Actually that is a fallacy. When you look at total tax paid we are "about" the same as our friends to the south with the added benefit of not having to pay health premiums for insurance on top of that. It has been studied a lot and always proven to be more or less equal when all taxes paid are considered between two more or less equal jurisdictions.
My brother (Canadian) who now lives in the U.S. married to a wonderful American girl now pays for private insurance for him, wife and daughter and we both make similar money. (Him an engineer and me a successful sales person). We compare what we pay for property taxes, sales taxes, income taxes and other costs of living like hidden gas taxes and when you add it all up it's really close to the same.
I would much rather our system where some waiting might be necessary, where everyone is treated the same regardless of their ability to pay, and that can't have their claim denied because it's not covered so to speak and having to pay or depend on my employer to pay to keep this status. Oh and to have to navigate the ridiculous amount of insurers and plan coverages that folks in the U.S do can be challenging.
Yes your system is more speedy, and yes it offers more choice. But dollar for dollar I think ours offers better services for less cost when equally compared. It just gets a lot of bad P.R. from the complainers like the Mail Carrier that thinks he/she should move to the front of the line in keeping with their schedule, and who doesn't pay to have said service. (not that this is available, but if it were). Then you combine this with Fox News claiming the sky is falling with regards to our system and well that gives our American friends a skewed view.
Again I state I have chronic health problems and require frequent doctors visits, ongoing imaging to monitor the problems with my back, specialist appointments for chronic pain management, Physio, and I have a lung problem thanks to previous years of smoking and growing up in a smokers family. (COPD) which requires its own treatment. I have never had to put my health on hold to wait.
Also don't forget we aren't the only country doing this, there is a lot of other countries that do it successfully as well. The U.K. or Australia for example.
