WOW, You Canadians and your Healthcare

[HOZ]

Free healthcare is not free. Just check how much is taken off your paycheck to find out how costly it is!

[nickerjones]

Originally Posted by T@T

US healthcare = major epic fail.

For those hating the waits for MRI's etc. travel to a small town and see a doc, a buddy of mine went to Red Deer to have his done and it took 3 days to get him booked in, anyone who complains about free healthcare is either very rich or very ######ed.

Well i guess i started the thread to complain about our healthcare but i cant says it is a major epic fail. It has its ups and downs. TBQH I think Obama should really push for for regulation on drug companies first. I mean drug companies are almost like oil companies. They can charge what they want because we can not live with out their product. I find it ridiculous what some drugs cost.

[llama64]

Originally Posted by HOZ

Free healthcare is not free. Just check how much is taken off your paycheck to find out how costly it is!

I'd rather it taken off as part of my taxes then end up spending tens of thousands to pay for the actual cost.

Most of us who use the term "free healthcare" know it's not "free". But we understand it's a social cost that our taxes pay for over the course of our lives.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by T@T

For those hating the waits for MRI's etc. travel to a small town and see a doc, a buddy of mine went to Red Deer to have his done and it took 3 days to get him booked in, anyone who complains about free healthcare is either very rich or very ######ed.

Isn't it ridiculous that someone has to travel outside a major city to receive medical care?

Canada's "free healthcare" and blind support for it is obviously a contentious issue and Canadians get very very defensive when the system is questioned. The US system is far from perfect, or acceptable. But frankly, Canada's medical system = major epic fail, too.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

The only reason I got one finally was because I paid for it. I couldn't get a doctor to authorize the test.

It's a lottery - if you get the right doctor you are taken care of. If you don't - you're screwed.

I agree about the lottery. I had a GP years ago who would only treat the condition as opposed to finding out the cause. My current GP went to great lengths to set me up with a specialist so we could find the cause of my tumor and the best way to treat it.

Hope your dad gets that MRI soon. His treatment by the medical system is criminal.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

The only reason I got one finally was because I paid for it. I couldn't get a doctor to authorize the test.

It's a lottery - if you get the right doctor you are taken care of. If you don't - you're screwed.

A good part of that is true. When I needed some minor surgery a few years back, I asked my doctor when he thought I might be having the surgery.

He said, well let me see, he got on the phone himself, phoned the RockyView and said, you are booked on such and such date, which was 5 weeks from then. My doctor obviously had connections to the OR room.

Now the other thing consumers have to do is be their own advocates.

Last year my sister was having a problem with her hip and it seemed to be getting worse. She saw her doctor and he agreed to arrange for an MRI for her. She went to the front desk where the nurses booked appointments and told them all dates would be ok except for a 3 week time frame when she had some personal travel arranged. They made a note of that and said the MRI clinic would contact her directly and make the appointment.

Well, 2 days later, she got a phone call from the MRI clinic and when they told her the day and time, my sister started to get quite upset saying that was within the time frame she would not be here for the scan. They told her to calm down, that the appointment was for a year from now, not this year!!!

Well, my sister is her own advocate and told them up front that a year from now simply would not do, it was completely unacceptable and they would have to do better than that. The clinic said they would see what they could do and call her back. They called her back the same day, and miraculously her new appointment would be within 7 weeks.

So sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the oil too.

[bcb]

Nm

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by Table 5

We sometimes forget that no matter which system you are under, there are good doctors and bad doctors, and who you go to can make a difference of life and death.

Very true. Also (and this isn't a slight to your friend), you have to make sure as a patient, you need to be assertive if you don't think you're getting the right attention or care, regardless of where you live or what system you're in.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Isn't it ridiculous that someone has to travel outside a major city to receive medical care?

Canada's "free healthcare" and blind support for it is obviously a contentious issue and Canadians get very very defensive when the system is questioned. The US system is far from perfect, or acceptable. But frankly, Canada's medical system = major epic fail, too.

Certainly, and a major reason why that occurs is not enough doctors wish to work in rural Canada. There in lies another problem. The gov't has tried incentives and the like to attract more doctors to the rural areas, with little success to date.

On the other hand, it does make a lot of sense to have a lot of the infrastructure for health care in areas where the largest percentage of the population lives. And when most of the infrastructure is concentrated, then there are long line ups. It would he very prohibitive in cost to provide that same level of care in very small centers across our country.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Very true. Also (and this isn't a slight to your friend), you have to make sure as a patient, you need to be assertive if you don't think you're getting the right attention or care, regardless of where you live or what system you're in.

You're right you have to be assertive and ask questions these days, but I'm sure many people out there feel like they don't want to disrespect the doctor, and assume they know what they are talking about. It's a fine line between due diligence and hypochondria. Ideally you would like to assume the doctor you are going to is good every time, but of course that's not very realistic.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by T@T

US healthcare = major epic fail.

.

Well, that settles it then.

What are your qualifications to make that sweeping judgement?

I can't wait until the US starts taxing my medical benefits to pay for those who won't work. Then it'll be great!

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

But frankly, Canada's medical system = major epic fail, too.

I'd like to know what qualifies you to make this statement. I've used the Canadian medical system on multiple occasions and never felt that this is even close to true.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by Table 5

You're right you have to be assertive and ask questions these days, but I'm sure many people out there feel like they don't want to disrespect the doctor, and assume they know what they are talking about. It's a fine line between due diligence and hypochondria. Ideally you would like to assume the doctor you are going to is good every time, but of course that's not very realistic.

Very true. Patients have to be assertive, but questioning an area of knowledge that most people have no experience in can be uncomfortable or awkward for some. But, when it comes to your health and things aren't improving, you gotta take action.

[HOZ]

Originally Posted by llama64

I'd rather it taken off as part of my taxes then end up spending tens of thousands to pay for the actual cost.

Most of us who use the term "free healthcare" know it's not "free". But we understand it's a social cost that our taxes pay for over the course of our lives.

I suggest you do some math. 10,000 sounds like a bargain. And you probably won't get to use it! I find those that defend Canadian health care to the death and look down their noses at the American system usually have never received any other health care and don't really know the difference.

I think you should go for a ride-a-long with some ambulance drivers and see the clunk-heads chewing up your pay cheque every Friday and Saturday night.

There are up and downs in every system. To call Canada's health care free is simply wrong. It is not. It's not even cheap.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Very true. Patients have to be assertive, but questioning an area of knowledge that most people have no experience in can be uncomfortable or awkward for some. But, when it comes to your health and things aren't improving, you gotta take action.

One of my cousins died from pancreatic cancer last month. When he was in the diagnosis stage his GP made him appointment with a specialist. Weeks went by and he recieved no letter or phone call of his appointment from the specialist. He made a few phone calls and found the request made by his GP was sent to the wrong person.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

I'd like to know what qualifies you to make this statement. I've used the Canadian medical system on multiple occasions and never felt that this is even close to true.

I'm a world renown medical system comparer. Just my own experience. I've lived and used both systems as has my fiancee. We have really good insurance down here and frankly there is no comparison.

In the US, if you can afford it, healthcare is second to none. In Canada, everyone has access to an inferior system (wait times, access to technology/specialists, etc...).

Again, neither system is perfect, but my reaction to US system = failure, was that Canada's system, with all its problems, is definitely a fail

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by Dion

One of my cousins died from pancreatic cancer last month. When he was in the diagnosis stage his GP made him appointment with a specialist. Weeks went by and he recieved no letter or phone call of his appointment from the specialist. He made a few phone calls and found the request made by his GP was sent to the wrong person.

Sorry to hear that Dion, that's awful. That can happen in any system. Make sure you talk to a lawyer about your family's rights. Doctor's make mistakes, but mistakes like that should be punished, IMO.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by HOZ

There are up and downs in every system. To call Canada's health care free is simply wrong. It is not. It's not even cheap.

I'm not sure you can find a health care system that is cheap, effective, an good anywhere on the planet. Health care is expensive, no matter who pays for it.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Sorry to hear that Dion, that's awful. That can happen in any system. Make sure you talk to a lawyer about your family's rights. Doctor's make mistakes, but mistakes like that should be punished, IMO.

They had to do lots of tests and a biopsy before they determined it was pancreatic cancer. Problem was it was too far advanced when they caught it. Even if he saw the specialist sooner it wouldn't have made a difference. It was from what I was told an innocent screw up on the appointment thing. The family did the right thing by following through.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by Dion

They had to do lots of tests and a biopsy before they determined it was pancreatic cancer. Problem was it was too far advanced when they caught it. Even if he saw the specialist sooner it wouldn't have made a difference. It was from what I was told an innocent screw up on the appointment thing. The family did the right thing by following through.

That sucks.