There's this advert that is currently running on American TV where a lovely Canadian talks about how our healthcare system sucks and Americans should therefore rebel against any sort of government-based reform. This ad was produced with the help of some Canadian chap who makes lots of money sending Canadians to the USA for medical treatment...so obviously a bit of an agenda there [though it's nice that nice Americans helped this nice lady to not die of a brain tumor or whatever - if that part is even true]. The thing is - I'm not sure why Americans either love or hate our healthcare system so much. I'm not sure why they care, when normally Americans seem to be only vaguely aware of our existence. The commercial states that the woman would have had to wait over six months for her urgent surgery and that Canadian healthcare would have killed her. I've never heard of this - everyone who I've known who needed urgent treatment has gotten it - right here in Canada, for free. I have known people to wait for other types of treatments - for chronic back pain and carpal tunnel surgery...but even then it was not a six month rate [and those were both in rural Ontario, which has a spectacularly sucky healthcare system]. The commercial ends with a stern warning against "Canadian-style healthcare" [for the record, the adjective "Canadian-style" sounds like the most boring and polite sex position ever].
So, aging liberal hippie douche Michael Moore thinks Canada is some paragon of healthcare wonderment...but Republicans think it's sheer evil. What's the truth? Honestly, somewhere in the middle. As a young, relatively healthy person I don't have a tremendous amount of experience in the system...but for me, I would say that the most difficult thing is applying for the health card [so annoying...I will rant about this when I have to have mine renewed soon enough]. Also, as previously mentioned getting decent healthcare in rural areas is both impossible and terrifying, but I think that's because it's difficult to attract/maintain quality physicians to those areas. I do have a doctor - and I selected her myself. If I ever want to switch doctors I can do that very easily and whenever I want [I have no idea where this whole "Canadians can't choose their own doctors" business came about]. When I go to the doctor or the emergency room or the hospital in general, it's free. I can generally get in to see my doctor [or another one @ the same practice] within a week - or less if it's a semi-emergency. However, many things are not covered under standard OHIP - prescription drugs [though I think there is some sort of Medicaid type thing for seniors], optomotrist stuff/eye care, dental stuff, physiotherapy and mental health treatment [for the most part - some doctors do provide therapy, but they are not exclusively in the mental health field generally and the wait lists are intense]. So, it's not perfect - my doctor can tell me what's wrong with me and provide a solution - however, my prescription drugs for my migraines run around $30 a pill...so...that's a problem. For the most part, Canadians have healthcare benefits extended by their employers to cover [in part] these costs...just like Americans.
So...we're not that different. I admit, I don't know much about the American healthcare system - only bits and pieces that I see on CNN talking heads and in those iReports. Also, sometimes when I still lived @ home I watched ER with my mum. At the moment because I'm not working, I have been avoiding anything I see as an "extra" in terms of my health - my eyes, my teeth and my crummy knee all have to wait until I find gainful employment with benefits. But, I promise, my fellow Americans - doing it Canadian-style is really not scary.
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Oh my goodness! Thanks for this post. The current healthcare system we have here frustrates me to no end. I don't really know why people are so afraid of universal healthcare, but they certainly are. People are literally dying here because they can't afford the proper care. If you can't afford or your employer doesn't offer benefits and you make "too much" to qualify for assistance, you're basically screwed. Additionally, many employers only offer the bare minimum. No vision, no dental and minimal "specialist" coverage. This is actually the first time that we've been able to have dental coverage through one of our employers since we've been married. The prescription coverage varies, but they typically cover generics, and not all of them. Earlier this year, I needed one prescription filled (the only one in a 6-month period) and my insurance wouldn't cover any of it. I know someone who is still paying hospital bills from when they had a baby almost 4 years ago. I could go on and on...and on. But, something needs to change, and soon.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. My doctor is great - if I need to see her urgently, I usually get in the same day. I haven't had much experience with other medical care either, but I am currently waiting to get in to a specialist - and the wait is less than 2 months. Not great, but it's not urgent, either.
ReplyDeleteI've also had to get blood tests, ultrasounds, x-rays, etc. lately (long story, I'll write about it someday), and every time I have to do something like that, I walk in, give them my health card, and take a seat. Blood tests required about a 45 minute wait ('cause I went first thing in the morning). Everything else was about 5 minutes.
From my experience (or rather, my friends'/family members' experiences), when it's urgent, you get in quickly. If it's not urgent, you will probably have to wait.
Of course, what is covered varies between the provinces, but overall I'd say our health system is doing well.
The last few times I've had to get my health card renewed, I've been amazed at how quickly it has gone - something like an hour from leaving work to having the card - and since it was about a 20 minute drive downtown + finding a place to park + walking to the building, that's not bad at all.
Very interesting. I didn't know anything about Canadian insurance except the sound bites on the radio and TV channels.
ReplyDeleteGreat comments people!
ReplyDeleteColette, I totally forgot to mention how successful I've been with getting tests done quickly and for free. However, the health card thing has been a nightmare each time - though it's good that they are merging it with the other licensing...the line-ups are crazy.
Jen - that's really sad. I tend to think that most Americans with decent jobs have really impressive healthcare, so that's why they don't need universal healthcare [kinda like the differences in our education system - Canada seems to have more government subsidies and loans, America has more scholarships]. Our system is far from perfect [in England, their system is *way* more comprehensive], but I see that I have taken some things for granted...and often there is access to prescription drugs [for free!] if you really can't pay.
It is sad. A lot of insurance plans have high deductibles, too. So, you end up having to pay several thousand dollars on top of what comes out of your check weekly before the insurance will kick in. Last year, we payed a couple of hundred dollars in insurance costs (which did not cover dental or vision) every month and then had to pay our $2,000 deductible for some medical tests. So, the insurance ended up covering $105...for the entire year. It's totally not worth the cost, but if you end up having an emergency and have no insurance, you can get in deep debt quick. So, you have to have it. And as far as prescriptions go, I know that they offer some assistance to people, but it's minimal and many elderly people have to pick and choose which medicines to get because they can't afford to buy all of the ones that are prescribed to them. Ridiculous, right? So, when you hear the phrase "I can't afford to get sick," it's really true here.
ReplyDeleteYes, Joseph pays for insurance @ his office and I'm on their plan. He gets nothing out of it - he doesn't even go to the doctors [his choice]. I use it against perscription drugs - it covers most of the charge, so I'm thankful for it...of course, yes, it doesn't add up to the hundred plus dollars he pays in each month...but he didn't really have a choice in getting it.
ReplyDeleteI was very lucky in my last long-term job - we paid nothing into it [maybe a small fee each quarter or something, but very little] and we got so much - massage, therapy, orthodontics, eye care, acupuncture...