With so much happening in health care right now there is a lot of confusion about the way health care systems work in other countries. Cut through the clutter and find out the real 411 on health care in Canada (and why it’s not as bad as you might think).
31 Comments on "411 Canada Health Care"
I wonder how much cosmetic surgery Canadians get compared to Americans and whether this contributes in a significant way to per capita spending on health care.
in fact, you only wait a “long” time for certain elective surgeries. If it is an emergency or life threatening, you get treated immediately, and are given world-class care.
Thank god for the Canadian system. I’m a poor university student and I’ve been having some chronic health problems recently. Within a month of going in to see a doc I had 3 doctors working my case, a CT scan, and thousands of dollars worth of blood tests. I now have a specialist working on my case – she spent over an hour and a half discussing results and such at our last appointment. I’d be out thousands in co-pays even with a decent insurance plan in the States.
Ok, so how is this a good defense of the health care bill? If anything, you are supporting criticism.
For a “WHOPPING” savings (/sarcasm) of $3,395 you get to wait a long time before you get to see a doctor. What if you have pneumonia? What if you have something that needs quick medical treatment outside of a hospital? You also get a “WHOPPING” 2.6 years of life on average for an age you probably don’t want another 2 years tacked on to.
Also, what I don’t understand is how this is going to HELP the economy. People are going to lose their jobs. The health industry is going to make WAY less money. I don’t see how the money gained in the economy through the measly savings is going to add more money in than what it’s taking away from the people in the health industry. Sure, it’ll redistribute some wealth to the middle class, but less in is not more out in this case.
Also, stop calling it free health care – if you’re taxed for it then it’s not 100% free. It’s not even 50% free. It’s PAID for through TAXES.
Please, by all means, correct me if I’m wrong. I don’t see the good in this. I also don’t see the good in paying for women to have abortions. If you spread your legs, you should be ready to pay for it – not me.
Brilliant visual. Disagree about the long wait times, my doctor sees me within a week, if that. And I live in a major metropolitan city.
I am a Canadian and I had Kidney Cancer, I waited 2 months to get a ultrasound when they though the problem was minor. I waited a week to get my cat scan once they realized that I had a tumor on my kidney. I had to wait a little while to get my diagnosis but once they realized that I had a problem I was into surgery within 3 week of diagnosis. The Canadian system can be slow but it can also move quickly when needed.
I enjoyed reading the info on the image, but I was also a bit disappointed to see that only three comparisons had been made.
I don’t understand the “and why it’s not as bad as you might think” part. Why would anyone think the Canadian health care system is bad? It works well. A whole hell of a lot better than the idiotic American system, that’s for sure!
Really long waits are real, but ya, it’s still pretty great. Today I took my cousin to the hospital and we waiting almost three hours before we saw someone.
i think the important note is “MAY have to wait a long time”
i have never waited more than an hour to see a doctor, surgeon, have stitches put in, bones set and other non-threatening problems. you’ll only wait a long time for elective surgery, or quality of life surgery.
You might want to be more specific about the waiting times. In Canada, if you are not seriously injured then you might be waiting a *long* time. Otherwise, if you have the misfortune of being seriously injured then, just like in the United States, a triage system is used to determine who should be treated and when.
The Canadian health care system is not perfect but it’s pretty darn good. My wife has had two brain tumours removed over the past ten years by great doctors. She is living a normal life and it did not cost us a cent. If I want to see my doctor – I call; get an appointment for the next day; get my flu shot and guess what – it doesn’t cost me a cent! I think that’s pretty darn good!
AMEN to THAT! Why do Republicans keep trashing our system??? Because they make way too much money off the poor. Health Care is a human RIGHT. Get with it USA! Y
When you say you have to wait a long time to see your doctor….how long is long? What is the average wait time in Canada for a doctor vs the United States. Also, when you say the average Canadian spends X on healthcare is that JUST from their income taxes or on top of it?
James
Accountant at http://www.jrsmedical.com
Awesome! thanks.
The wait times are greatly exaggerated. Life threatening injuries are attended to immediately, while lower priority patients (coughs, fevers, bumps, bruises) have to wait. I believe it is a fair trade off. Yes, higher taxes, but I won’t die because of a cut that got infected because I didn’t have health insurance.
All in all, it doesn’t sound all that bad. Canada’s isn’t the only country that serves the population better than the US without breaking the bank. If only more people in the population would be willing to look at where more public systems of healthcare have been tried and are largely successful, they might come away with different thoughts on the issue.
People need to stop claiming Canadian healthcare is the greatest thing ever – sure if you’ve never done anything but broken a bone it’s great – same with the american system – try getting an MRI in canada for possible cancer – 6 month waiting list, come to the states, done in 2 days – cancer confirmed, meanwhile canadian doctors were claiming “all the pain is psychosematic”
diabetes measurement tools – the govt provided ones in Canada are so old they aren’t even sold in the states anymore.
Being treated for a month in a hospital hallway instead of a room becuase the hospital was over capacity…
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