I can speak to this issue as someone who has had health care in the US and Canada, and someone who provided health care in the US and a little in Canada. My experiences with health care in the US aren't all bad. When I was in high school and university, I had good coverage (to the best of my knowledge) under my mom's insurance, all the way to 24 years old. But once I started working, I began to realize how much health care could cost - as a patient and a provider! I was constantly mortified when insurance companies would provide how much rehabilitation someone needed after a stroke, and I watched it get worse through the 90s. As a patient, I had periodic flare-ups of back and neck problems. Once when I went to physio for a flare-up, the owner of the clinic came to chat with me while I waited for my appointment. She wanted to be sure that I was going to be able to pay for my visit. I was so shocked. I asked why? She said that my insurance coverage was limited to 60 days per body part per year! I could have had physio every day for 60 days and they would pay - but I couldn't go once per month for 3 months. How does that make financial sense?! So I had to pay, despite the fact that I worked at a rehabilitation hospital!
I have lived in Canada for 7 years now. Just before moving here, I had some serious gastro-intestinal problems and had to undergo a variety of tests to figure out what was wrong. I was never admitted to a hospital, only had some out-patient diagnostic tests. Yet, my 20% of those tests was several thousand dollars! At the time, I didn't care because the doctors convinced me that if I waited until I got to Canada, I would be on a waiting list for years. When I was healthy within 6 weeks of the conclusive test, I was very grateful - but paid the bills for it for a year.
Last summer, while in Arizona teaching a 4-week course, I became extremely ill. A friend who lives there kept insisting that she should take me to the ER. I refused because it hadn't occurred to me to get travel insurance. I called a walk-in clinic and it was going to be $250 just to walk in! I decided to wait, though scared and in pain, until I got back to Canada, and was extremely weak and dehydrated by the time I got home. But I got right into my doctor and had no expenses to worry about.
Since coming to Canada, I have had several accidents (clutz!). I have never had to pay a penny for my knee or foot x-rays (and no, I don't just run in to the doctor or go for unnecessary tests because it's free). I've also had plenty of physio for various injuries - and I go to a private clinic, but when my insurance coverage runs out, it only costs me a fraction of the price it would in the US.
Recently, I chopped 1cm off the top of my left pinky finger in the car door. Ugly! I went to the emergency and was then followed at the Plastic Surgery clinic every 2 weeks for 2 months, and had a few occupational therapy visits... all for FREE! No worries! I can't tell you what a relief that is. If I had to sit in the emergency room worrying, "Will my insurance consider this an emergency or should I have called for permission?" and "What will now be denied because of this pre-existing condition?" and "Oh my goodness, how much is my 20% going to cost? A plastic surgeon?! How will I ever pay for that?!" - then I think I would have had a nervous breakdown on top of the trauma.
There are plenty of stories of Canadian health care not working, and from what I hear, Americans are being inundated with THOSE stories, but not of any good ones. That's why I chose to write this post. Anyone in Canada could chop off their finger and get care... that's how it should be! Come on Americans, show the world that you're better than this. Show them that you don't like being in bad company (as with the death penalty... that's some great company we keep!) Look to France, Sweden, Norway, Australia for positive stories of socialized medicine. You like your socialized highways, schools, public buildings... why is it so awful to think that health care, something so fundamental, should be accessible to all??? I just can't wrap my head around the selfishness of the current system!!
If Obama doesn't change things, it won't be just his fault, it will be the whole nations fault! Let him be the change we can believe in!!! Yes we can!!!
Ellen
Halifax
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