[Split] Healthcare discussion

[WillMoon]

ROFL... You would be too broke after paying taxes to cover "free" healthcare in Canada to afford to buy a lottery ticket to pay taxes on...   :D

WillMoon

[Snarechick]

I hear great things about your free healthcare across the lake.  A friend of mine (Canadian) went into the ER because of his broncitis and came out with an ace bandage for a sprained ankle. :D

I practically lived in Canada for six months (was part of a performing youth ensemble-music related), Canadians are great friendly people.  I enjoyed my time there quite a lot.  French Canadians can be...grumpy we shall say...but they're okay, too. ;)

Your friend across the lake (Michigan). :)

[touitsjesse]

Yes even though there are alot of weak links in our health care system, but they are working on fixing those. But i have a 14 month old daughter who , i am glad she was born in canada and i, we never have to worry, if she gets sick if shes going to get proper health care, or if i lose my job, if im going to get health care if i get sick. Yes we do have high taxes, but we also get alot of other FRINDGE benefits, like baby bonus's every month if you have children, where as US get to claim thier children and they might get some of it back in a refund. We also get a check from the government every 4 month for all the G.S.T.(goverment tax) we pay. And the biggest benefit to living in canada and i think most canadians would agree, WE HAVE TIM HORTONS....LOL. But above all, we have a great system that needs work as all governments across this world we cal earth. No government is perfect in any way, where we have one working system, someone else has faults and vice versa.

[smiles29]

u r one of the lucky ones toiutsjesse.  we have tim hortons here in michigan too.  i have never gotten one of  thoses gst checks and dont know what it is.   we have crappy health care in the states (or at least here in michigan).  most hospitals wont even take u if u aint got health insurance and the ones that will take u treat u differently than if u did have it.  i know that for a fact.  when i was working, i had one of the best health insurance plans available, when i would go to the er i would b seen fairly quickly, was checked out properly, given the right course of treatmant, and sent on my way.  i was treated like a real human being.  but................ now that im not working and lost my health insurance and i go to the er( the same er as the one i went to when i had insurance) things are quite different.  when i go into the er now, i have to wait for hours, im only seen by a intern and not an actual doctor, they take a quick look at the problematic area, handed a script and sent on my way.  im treated like a bum.  half the time im miss-diagnosed and have to return again a few days later just to go thru the same ritual again a couple of 3 times till they get it rite. 
i have spent lots of time in canada for various things throughout my short 30 yrs of life, and personally i wish i lived there and could afford to live there.  there arent half as many problems in canada as we got here in the states and that would b a whole nother thread to discuss those issues so i will leave it at that.

[ThisIsntMyPogoName]

I am Canadian too.  And this is typical of Canada.  We have weird laws.

[Adacia]

   I visited Nova Scotia and Newfoundland years ago. I remember it being so beautiful. I just want to say how much I would love to move there. From what I can gather, it seems a lot more laid back. Every person I met was extremely friendly. I don't even think I saw one piece of litter on the ground. I'd love to relocate there.
   

[Snarechick]

I remember hearing that Canada has a great gig for new mothers when they have their babies?  Something like a whole year off to be with baby, it's been awhile since I talked to a new Canadian mother about it.  Just remembered that it seemed really cool.

We do have Tim Hortons here in Michigan, but the Tim Hortons in Canada is much better.  More variety.  Just like Taco Bell in Canada has some wicked good fries with cheese, and McDonald's has strawberry rhubarb pies while we have the boring apple and cherry.  I lived off of Tim Hortons while I was over there. :o

Smiles- Who do you have health care through?  Being that my mother worked for General Motors for years and she (and I) have had Blue Cross Blue Sheild, our health insurance has been pretty good for years under the GM/UAW contracts.  HOWEVER....the BS going on with Blue Cross and Michigan hospitals and doctors is insane.  If you have it, you know.  Hospitals not getting paid, hospitals totally dropping Blue Cross, doctors getting dropped from being covered under Blue Cross, litigations...  Take for instance my situation.  My mother has just started dialysis (at the ripe age of 45) but two days prior to hospital discharge and starting dialysis three times a week, Blue Cross says we have NO coverage.  I have cancer, and just went through more testing...you can imagine the horror when one radioactive pill is $3000.00 let alone the scans and lab work.  Come to find out, an error in the system has dropped over 6,000 people from UAW Local 652 and another 6,000 from UAW Local 602 here in Lansing.  Some don't even know they've been dropped, even the Vice President of 652 was dropped- all because of the computer system.  After hours of phone calls, still no for sure "You're back in the system"...but they said we are still covered and have been all this time.  I tell ya, you pay for good health care insurance and you still get the run around and stressed out worrying that you've been dropped and the bills are adding up to over 100,000 in the past month alone. ::) :o >:(

Sometimes the idea of moving three hours to the East and across the lake seems tempting. 

[smiles29]

i dont have insurance now.  but when i did it was health plus with no co-pays on anything, choice of doctors, and nationwide coverage.  thats what i was talkin bout.  i was treated rite and like a human when i had insurance, but now that i dont have any, its a whole nother ball game.  i wish i could move to canada, i just absolutely love it there when ive spent time there.

[kazandchip]

Commonwealtheans unite!!! All winnings in Aus are tax free too..and free public health, I believe Hillary Clinton wanted to adopt the aussie system..no-one gets turned away from our hospitals

[bob@pogopal]

As one who was effectivewly shut out of the canadian healthcare system for more than 6 years for lack of a family doctor, I am not a fan of socialized medicine. I find it obscene that Ontario would forcibly prevent me from spending my own money on my own healthcare while seizing my money to pay for another person's healthcare.

The only word I can think to describe that situation is: evil. Pure, unadulterated evil.

[Snarechick]

That is absolutely insane!  You weren't allowed to buy your own insurance during that entire time?  What would happen if you needed emergency medicine and or surgery?  I'm sure they wouldn't admit any fault in that, would they.  Wow.

I was in a somewhat similar situation for two years with BCBS.  I was dropped without warning or explanation as a MINOR (15 years of age) for two years.  BCBS would not admit fault and would not reinstate me on my mother's insurance.  They even had me under two policies with the second supposedly being my father yet I didn't know the guy and he live six states away.  Just prior to being dropped, it was already suspected that I had cancer...two years goes by fighting with the insurance company and I'm becoming more and more ill.  The day I was reinstated, I went straight from the UAW benefits office to the emergency room. They scheduled and performed my surgery that week and I found out I had Stage IV Thyroid Cancer. 

So I can't imagine that sort of uninsured situation for anyone else, let alone six long years.  Anything could have happened in that time!

[bob@pogopal]

Snare,

I could get emergency care. In fact, the only way I could get any sort of advanced treatment was to show up at the emergency and wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. The worse off you are the faster you get served.

Pretty much the same sort of treatment a homeless person in the US could expect to receive.

My family has a genetic predisposition to a particular cancer, and I am supposed to go in for screening every second year from age 25 to 40 and every year thereafter. I managed to get my first screening at the age of 38. Everything was clear and okay, thankfully.

Now I am faced with moving to a different area of the province, and I am told to expect 8 years on the waiting list for a family doctor in the community where I am moving. On the other hand, I am moving to a border town, so maybe I can get a doctor across the river. God only knows when I will be able to go in for the second screening, which is due next year, if I have to wait 8 years for a GP.

[Adacia]

  I'm telling ya. $$$ is the most addicting drug on this planet. I just nod my head reading these posts. It seems humanity is few and far between. Yes, I am on SSI in WI and it is more challenging to keep than a job. I get treated like **** in the ER.
 If I could go back in time before the $ bill was around, I would. Atleast the world wouldn't revolve around it. Not to mention, the same govt's that treat us like pawns on their chess board, wouldn't be there. Every day I read the news is a new day of madness. Bombs. nuclear threats and tactics, killings all around. It's no wonder I prefer to stay at home and play pogo. It's not like any of that will matter if things keep going at the rate they do. Frankly, it's scary as ***.
 I'm just gonna say it straight out. I'm terrified of our govt and everyone else's for that matter. We should all be treating each other like humans and not like banks. The political world is gonna lead us to nuclear war one day if it doesn't change. I'd like to move to Canada for several reasons. One of which is that I feel America is a sinking ship.
 My SSI gets altered every time the wind blows. I never know when I can or can't get my help without a deductible. I have an invisible case worker that never replies. It's all craziness.

[bob@pogopal]

Hear! Hear! Max!

I am amazed everytime I hear someone say they want to come up here. I would do just about anything to escape to the US.

At least in the US, I can use my hard-won money on my own health. Up here, the government prohibits such things and people are stupid enough to call it a benefit.

[Serendipity]

I Am Canadian!! :D
An East Coaster.Our ladies have been know to be able to carry a 24{suitcase of beer} under each arm,with their hands in their pockets,singing We Are An Island,whilst doing a jig heading to the local Beach
  I am now in the US..Pleaseeeeeeee do NOT get sick here!!! Say what you want about Canadian taxes, but,hellsbells,you will be taken care of at our doctors,dentists,emerg rooms
Twice now i've had to  use the medical services.. At home,i would go in to emerg,get treated,medicated and be on my way.
Here,same thing,EXCEPT,bill fr  Dr {Didn't see 1},Bill fr Dr assistant,Bill for IV{frigging sugar/water},ANOTHER IV bill{had 2} the list goes on,prescriptions,etc.I'm still waiting for my 'Your Alive Bill "
Boiled down to a recurring Bladder infection that cost me $ 1500..{no i didn't take out insurance as i was only here 4 a week,WHO KNEW!!..I've been treated at home for this for a lot of years..I didn't know you had to pay when you got sick,lol.. So,Pay your Taxes,and be happy..
BTW.... do not, DO NOT lose a filling here{root canal,then filling,if root canal doesn't work, start again,if it STILL doesn't work{after $1600} YANK  THE SUCKER!!!{shoulda yanked it in the 1st place >:(
I AM PROUD TO BE A CANADIAN
{ps,I'm not stupid enough to fall 4 that ol "SPELL CHECK" thingy a 2nd time} :(

[bob@pogopal]

Serendipity,

How is it any better to be prevented to pay for medical treatment I need and desire? I don't understand what point you are trying to make.

I would much rather have $1500 treatment than no treatment at all.

[LustyPirateWench]

With all its problems, the USA is still the best country in the world in my opinion. Complaining about hospital waiting or free lunch money like SSI means little to people that live in countries where there are NO doctors or hospitals and, if you cannot earn your way, those governments just let you die. Try to be thankful for what you have and not resentful for what you have not.

Free press, the ability to be a liberal whack without anyone knocking down your door, the ability to say whatever you want, the ability to practice whatever religion you want, the ability to be with whom ever you wish to be with, and most of all NO BURKAS!

I love my country - and if they would let me - I'd go back into the USAF in a heartbeat. America stands for something, at times I'm not quite sure what it is... but I'd support out country and our government in a heartbeat. For after everything is said and done, I've lived a GOOD life so far, and been able to do whatever I've wanted to (that was legal) without having to worry about people getting in my face about it. My kids were raised FREE, I am a second generation Italian from NY and I do take offense that someone bombed my home town. I still remember and am pissed (which apparently most of my fellow countrymen have forgotten) but the ultimate beauty of it is - THEY/WE ARE FREE TO DO SO.

Oh sorry - I was rambling. been sick as a dog all week - still getting worse it seems.

LPW...

[Serendipity]

Well Captain,that makes 2 of us,lol..I have never been prevented from having any medical care i needed in Canada, and you have??? And,i have never taken a purse/wallet/or money to the Drs,hospitals,etc,except for ID

My point is,  the grass isn't always greener on the other side{of the border}lol.. 8) Both countries have their plus/minus'... Up to us which PLUS outweighs a few minus'..I prefer to be sick  in Canada ;) Go Bless Both Countries

[bob@pogopal]

Yes, I have been denied treatment--I was denied access to the Canadian medical system for over half a decade. And I am told to expect the same thing to happen again for another 8 years. Did you not read what I wrote earlier?

I am quite familiar with both sides of the border. Anyone truly informed about the matter would prefer the US system. Any system that prohibits a person from spending their own money on their own health is obscene. Healthcare in Canada is an obscenity.

From what I understand having read your post, you are whining because having failed to properly care for yourself and having grown accustomed to burdening the emergency ward at your local hospital with an easily prevented condition, you did not like having to pay the cost of the irresponsibility you regularly foist onto your neighbours.

If you lived in the US, you would more likely have taken the full antibiotic course to cure the condition and then started drinking a little cranberry juice to keep it from recurring. Instead, you expect your neighbours to cough up the $1500 periodically to make the symptoms go away for awhile.

[kazandchip]

Bob Is the Canadian system like the UK NHS where you have to find a Dr/Dentist and register with them and then use only that Dr?
Our free medical system lets you go to any Dr you choose and many bulk bill (ie you don't pay the gap between what the govt pay the dr and what the Dr charges.) We do have private health insurance that cover private hospital treatment and it means you can usually have ops straight away and all ancilliary health providers like physio, optometry are subsidised (I think we pay 25% and the health fund pay the rest) The Govt do provide these service gratis but waiting lists are long.Seems unfair that in Canada you have to find a Dr willing to take you on their list