Comments on: Canada is Not Different

By: sandy_b

sandy_b — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:45:50 +0000

As each province deals with their health care costs separately there will be issues with some and there will be hard choices but that is life. My province is addressing this now and that is in reality all you can do, work hard to continue what is good. I readily admit to paying higher taxes and believe they will get higher, everything comes at a cost. At the end of the day the fact remains that Canada is committed to providing health care to all citizens and that is what a country should do for their citizens. There will also be people who do fall through the cracks, and those cases will be the fodder for the media to denounce what we have instead of looking at the positives while admitting the failures.

No system will ever be perfect but what we (Canadians) have is far better than what I have seen in the US through the eyes of my parents both from a physicians standpoint and as patients.

By: Evan Falchuk

Evan Falchuk — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:30:52 +0000

Hi Sandy, it sounds like you had a good experience. The difficult part of it, from the standpoint of what it costs, is that it is, indeed, a marvel that it only costs $102/month. As Americans are learning, over the long-term, with an aging population and increasing availability of new tests and treatments, costs start to become unsustainable. We'll see how that affects Canada over time, I suspect some of what Canadians complain about today have to do with symptoms of burgeoning cost problems.

By: sandy_b

sandy_b — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:38:10 +0000

I am Canadian and have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Canadian Health system from a BTDT that point of view and the entire time (11 days) I was in hospital and since then with the continual monitoring and tests needed for my disease.

Plus the outpatient programs available for enhancing recovery through education and physical rehab as well to ensure continued health – I simply marvel at how good it really is and that it only costs my husband and I – $102.00 per month…

By: Evan Falchuk

Evan Falchuk — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:38:59 +0000

Hi Court (is everyone anonymous on this post?)-

I can't speak for Joscraba, but I'm not sure he's saying anything especially controversial from an American perspective.

Still a "single-payer" system in which people can buy private insurance ain't "single payer."

It's a little bit like what we have now. About half of health care in America is already paid for by the government. I'm not making a value judgment on that, maybe it should be more, maybe less. But it is the way things are.

Now, these aren't simple issues. It's why I believe there isn't really an American health care "system" that can be coherently "reformed." It's why we need a uniquely American approach to this, which is to say a whole lot of different efforts to try to fix what's broken.

Evan

By: Evan Falchuk

Evan Falchuk — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:35:42 +0000

Thanks for your comment, joscraba. I have heard many similar stories in Canada although I know it isn't politically correct to say them. I think many Americans are surprised to hear how things look from the inside.

Still, I respect what Canada has built and think that Canadians have their own journey to go on in terms of coming to grips with the challenges they face.

By: Court

Court — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:44:49 +0000

No matter what kind of health care system you have, whether it's single-payer, socialized health care, employer-based, etc. the rich will always skirt around the rules.
They can fly to another country and not have to wait in any line. They can afford a private doctor and they will always get "the best care."
Joscraba doesn't sound much like a Canadian. He sounds like an American who is apart of the Tea Party who despises anything government run.

I would personally like a system like Canada's or Germany's. The system we have in America works great for the rich and that's about it. If you're middle class or poor...good luck and hope your illness isn't costly...or deadly. No system is perfect and America's is FAR from being perfect. We need to look at what works in other countries and implement it.

Why can't we have a single-payer system that allows for people to purchase private health insurance if they want it?

By: joscraba

joscraba — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:37:32 +0000

I grew up in Canada and spent some 20 years using the single-payer plan. It stinks. As far as the Premier's problem (I've lived in the States for over 25 years). In Canada, each province administers its own health plan and is responsible to provide care for those residing in that province only. If you move to a different province, you have to apply for a new health care card. If Williams couldn't get the procedure in Newfoundland, it would be far easier for him to be treated in the States than for him to be treated in BC, where he would have had to apply for a card, then find a general practitioner (not that easy — millions are without primary care, and waiting periods are as long as 3 years) to refer him to a surgeon. Then he'd have to wait for an opening on that surgeon's list — likely a minimum of 3 months, more likely 6 to 18 months. In other words, he'd be dead by the time he was admitted. And this is the problem with single payer government run health care.