WA EX:
About 56% of people in the United States favor “Medicare for all,” according to polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation out last week. That’s an increase of 3 percentage points from last November.
That majority would be wise to take a look across our northern border. Waits for care in Canada’s government-run health insurance system, the closest analog to “Medicare for all” in the world, are spiraling. The remedy for those waits, according to a new report from the Vancouver-based Fraser Institute? A dose of U.S.-style private insurance.
Right now, Canada is the only high-income country with universal health coverage that bans its citizens from purchasing private insurance for anything deemed “medically necessary.” “Medicare for all” would make the U.S. the second.
Supporters of the ban claim it preserves equitable access to care. Wealthy Canadians can’t use private insurance to pay for faster access to care.
But as a result, everyone must wait their turn for care paid for by the public system. Last year, Canadians faced a median wait of nearly 21 weeks to receive specialist treatment after getting referred by a general practitioner. Certain procedures come with longer waits. End-to-end, patients waited a median of 39 weeks for orthopedic surgery in 2019. read more
This is why there are dozens of medical clinics and surgeries spread all across the United State’s border with Canada. Every day, thousands of Canadians travel across the border to obtain the medical services that they cannot get in their homeland.
My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer some years ago (she remarried and now lives across the river from me in Canada) and she would have had to wait for an opening to receive radiation treatment and would have to drive to London, Ontario to get said treatment, about an hour plus drive each way. Luckily, she was still working over here (she worked into her 70’s) and had good insurance through her employer. She was able to receive treatment immediately in my town and gladly I can say it’s been in remission since.
Vermont and New Hampshire hospitals do well economically due to Canadians desperately seeking medical care that might take months for an appointment..
A socialist named TC Douglas started that shit in Canada. He was actually named by Canadians as the greatest Canadian of the 20th Century.
And that, folks, is why I prefer to live in the US.
I understand it isn’t all that time consuming and difficult for Canadians to get emergency medical treatment for life threatening conditions.
If you don’t die first, before you can make it to the United States.
I guarantee you that if you had Medicare … you would want something else
… see me for details ……..
Another way our health costs appear higher than other countries. With so many from elsewhere coming here for treatment, we are basically exporting the service while showing it as a domestic cost.
Its TRUE! We call it “hallway medicine” that’s where you wait.
Health insurance in Canada is Aproximately $13,300 per 4 person Family.
We Canadians think it is free because it is DEDUCTED at the SOURCE before we get paid. It is not Tax deductible because it IS a Tax.
Source: Fraser Institute, 2019 average cost of health care family of four in Canada.
Medicine IS NOT included.
I have no Idea what US care costs. Could someone let met know.
I have and am dealing friends and family with cancer and heart disease in Canada and have seen the hallway medicine first hand,Kcir is right on target.
Kcir
There’s a handful of us, that e mail each other, that are suddenly facing some fairly serious health care challenges. The costs run the gamut. Two in the group have proven the value of buying insurance across state lines. They’re getting raped do to no competition. Our health care is far from fixed. I could go on and on. But every problem our health care system has is do to Government involvement.
Kcir,I can confirm what Brad said. I’ve had some breathing issues (kind of important) and I’ve been so frustrated with insurance companies and the medical clinics that supposedly are “in network”. I’ve been frustrated enough that I haven’t been seeing doctors regularly. So a couple months ago I thought I’d give it another try, keep in mind it’s breathing issues that caused me to make an appointment. I get a doctor from South Korea and the only recommendation I can get from him is a flu shot and a colonoscopy. WTF, I not breathing out of my ass! A colonoscopy? I’m trying another GP.