Canadian Folks

[Buddyw]

Hello,

I've got a question.. Politics..

As you know there is a huge Debate on Heath Care going on.

I hear allot of stories on both sides about Canada's system. I don't like listening or believing either side of the aisle from 'Hear Say'.

I was thinking since there are quite a few of you guys on this site I would ask you.

Good Bad.. Indifferent? what's your opinion about it...

Feel free to PM me if you don't want to discuss openly.

I'm not doing anything with this information, It's just a curiosity I have and want straight answers..

Buddy

[horshur]

Buddy I am not realy qualified to comment on the details however we pay 108 a month in BC for a family of 5.......we qualify for a lower rate because of a lower income. It is a sliding scale for rates. Higher income pays higher rate. I do not no what a rich person would pay never been close though I don't believe it is alot more. Alberta has higher rates and ontario even higher. It is national health insurance.

I think that the rich may get the worse deal for though they can pay it does not realy matter...they may wait for surgerys that are non life threatening just the same as a poorer person.

I hear there are long waits.I don't no if they are unreasonable or not.

What we have in BC is a doctor shortage and youth are getting the short stick on that for it has come down to drop in visits and no family-regular doctor which can be problematic....I do not have a "doctor" just who is available at the time.

however...past winter saw me come down with pnuemonia...a hospital stay of three days on serious antibiotics......sure is a help to get better not having to worry the about the bill from the hospital... I did not get a bill.

I'm thinking it probably is not as good or as bad as you have heard.



So here I am back editing my post after talking to the brains(wife).......we pay less than 108 ....108 is the max payment......told yah I shouldn't comment

from my perspective it is a good deal.

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Paying a monthly fee does not even come close to covering health care in canada. In some of the provinces up to 36% of the provincial income tax is used for public health care. An a good portion is also paid for by federal taxes. If Obama puts this through you guys are screwed, taxes will be jacked through the roof and waiting in line will become the norm. Your doctors will have to take a huge paycut as our doctors only make 1/4 what yours do.

My wife broke her wrist the first year we moved from the city. It was 4 days until she could get surgery, 2 of the nights where spent in a hotel at her cost as there were no beds available in the hospital. The doctors where nice enough to provide my wife with morphine 2 times aday. Two weeks later my wife got severely sick with a bone infection from the surgery and was back in for another 4 days.

Good luck with that idiot president.

[rosin]

In Alberta if i am right we pay no heath care premiums anymore. But we pay stupid amount of income tax in Canada which i would reckon goes towards heath care . we have huge wait times in emergancy because its free and everyone takes advantage of it and goes to the emergency room for a cold or a sore toe really pisses me off ! I got a 4 inch slash on my arm from a big steel gate falling on me at work and needed stiches was leaking pretty good so went to the haspital in the city ware i was working at the time,to get sewn up , waited 2 hours got fed up left the hospital drove 2 more hours to my small home town and got stiched by the doc there . I also crushed all the bones in my left hand conecting my hand to wrist got sent home for 3 days before they could do surgery . I belive that everyone should be intiled to heathcare but some people use the system and skrew it up for others . On one hand i reckon it would be better if you had to buy your own ins and you get what you pay for but on the other hand it is nice if you need surgery or a doc or hospital you get fixed and dont got to worry about getting a bill after.

[Buddyw]

Thanks Guys..

I was just curious what the sentiment was.. I appreciate your comments.

[Stubby]

Our health care is not without it's problems but for a country with a larger geographical area and a population smaller than your single state of California it works pretty damn well.
Obviously our tax base to fund such a system is much smaller than yours but it still functions. Contrary to popular opinion it's not free, I pay $108 per month for my family but that will fund any lifesaving procedures I or a family member would need. If I had to pay out of pocket for certain medical procedures it is quite likely I would have to do without but with full coverage i don't even have to consider the cost, just show up.

I can't for the life of me figure out why you guys are so freaked out. If I could insure that for a small monthly premium I could guarantee that anyone in my family would get treatment equal to any other person regardless of income I would jump all over it.

[Nolte]

If I could insure that for a small monthly premium I could guarantee that anyone in my family would get treatment equal to any other person regardless of income I would jump all over it.

I think your'e missing out on the jacked up income taxes that are being used to fund health care. I can guarantee it is costing more than $108 a month to insure a whole family. It might not be coming out of your pocket, but it's coming from somewhere.

There is a reason people from all over come to the US for certain health care procedures. It's not because it's cheaper. It's because it's better and those innovative procedures resulted from someone being willing to pay for it. Not from 1,000 people waiting at the door to get it.

I rarely go to the Doc and I've got health insurance. Don't plan on using it unless something major happens. When and If I choose to go, I'd like to be able to get in and see the Doc of my choice. I don't just want to see the guy who is on duty.

[Stubby]

When and If I choose to go, I'd like to be able to get in and see the Doc of my choice. I don't just want to see the guy who is on duty.

I can go to any doctor of my choosing and if I don't like him I can go see someone else.
I'm not too well versed on our current medical system as I haven't been to a doc for years but when i was younger and wilder I was in fairly regularly and always got prompt service that never cost me a penny.
My mother recently passed from cancer and while she never had two nickels to rub together she got pretty decent treatment that again never cost her a penny over and above her monthly premium and I don't even know if seniors even have to pay the monthly premium. She was also in a couple times for heart bypass surgery several years ago (free) that she undoubtedly would have put off if she had to pay because frankly she just couldn't have.

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Stubby, thats great your mom got good treatment, but $108 amonth does not even come close to covering cost. Healthcare in a small town is alot different then where 90% of the population lives, in the bigger cities. LOng lineups are the norm, and finding a family doctor is not an easy task. On top of it why would anybody that is going to work everyday want to supply the bums that make a living sponging of the goernment system. As far as I see it If you don't work you shouldn't eat let alone get free housing and healthcare.

[bluewalkerlionhound]

seen canadas from the inside "ER" and it sucked..anyone with sniffles was in there wasting my time with ridiculas crap. the taxes up there suck gstpst etc.....lol ill stick with usa medical...now if i was just poor enough to milk our system. coma esta eh..

[Brady Davis]

I lived in a country for a few years that had socialized medicine (French Polynesia)....let me tell you, it is NOTHING like our american health care. We are going straight down the shit track in a hurry....too bad. Good thing there will still be private ins that a guy can buy with enough money. Take France where they have socialized meds, 90% of the pop still buys private on top because it sucks ass to get asprin for brian cancer, child birth or a head ache!

The wealthy will still have thier private insurance and the poor will herald the great Obama for giving them free shit...not how our country was founded but, you can bet your butt I'll be making the extra $$$ to go private....

We are the world power because of capitalism...not in spite of it!!!

[horshur]

economy of scale is how henry ford produced the a car common folk could afford......economy of scale is pretty much the same deal with socialized medicine.

there are some real shocking numbers coming out of the states regarding bankruptcy

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2 ... study.html

and large numbers who do not carry any insurance 46 million is one number I found......

What I know is that a common story here is about Canadians who have a heart attack in the states.......and quikly try to get back into Canada once stabilized so they do not go bankrupt.

[Brady Davis]

economy of scale is how henry ford produced the a car common folk could afford......economy of scale is pretty much the same deal with socialized medicine.

there are some real shocking numbers coming out of the states regarding bankruptcy

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2 ... study.html

and large numbers who do not carry any insurance 46 million is one number I found......

What I know is that a common story here is about Canadians who have a heart attack in the states.......and quikly try to get back into Canada once stabilized so they do not go bankrupt.

Not a business buff....The canadian who had a heart attack...Thanks to AMERICAN medicine he was stabilized...In canada he'd of died waiting.

This turns into a argument of the so called common folk AKA, poor. And capitalists, AKA, movers and shakers. Poor people want free stuff. Imagine that. I know our health care system needs help but socialized meds is NOT NOT NOT the solution....unless you make no money and care more about your own situation more than the welfare of the country....socilized medicine is absolutely un-patriotic...go ahead, slay me for saying it

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Socialised medicine in not the answer thats for sure. It will bankrupt your country. And what Canadian travels to the states without travel insurance?

[horshur]

Not a business buff....The canadian who had a heart attack...Thanks to AMERICAN medicine he was stabilized...In canada he'd of died waiting.

[/quote]

they come home to get the surgery.