What is Universal Health Care? Debate it here.
It seems that every time I visit my good neighbours to the south, I always get stuck in a healthcare conversation that starts off along these lines:
Cabdriver: "You’re from Canada, huh?"
Yak: "Yes sir."
"I’ve heard a lot about you Canadians. Especially this so-called communist healthcare of yours."
"EH? What’s communist healthcare?"
"Well…I've heard some scary things from [INSERT LIMBAUGH, COULTER, OTHER FAVORITE FOX-CHENEY OPERATIVE] about how your system is dangerous."
"Hmm…really? I guess if you saw it on a credible news network like FOX, I guess it MUST be true." [Yes, I’m an ass.]
It’s hard talking about health care even in Canada. Why? Well, it’s like religion up here. You just don’t mess with an institution. Is it good? Is it bad? Well…the answers aren’t always black and white.
Here are a few conflicting examples that have touched my own life. Think of them as mini-cases for debate…
EXAMPLE 1
A few years ago, my dad discovered a tumour in his head, right behind the earlobe. Initially, it was quite small and benign, but he still needed brain surgery. So, the specialist, put him on the surgery wait list (as is common practice in Canada) - 4 months until they had an opening for him. Four months? My dad’s life was at stake here, isn’t this considered non-elective surgery?
We were told our alternative would be to check into an US clinic on our own, but given that surgeon Dr. P was one of the best in Canada, it would only be an "upgrade" if the surgery was done at a top 5 hospital such as those in Boston or Los Angeles. Price tag? $450,000 US, so needless to say, that wasn’t an option for us.
Meanwhile, while waiting for surgery, my dad’s tumour doubled in size. Had this happened in the US, I’m quite certain some hospital’s ass would’ve been grass, accompanied with a buffet of lawsuits. In Canada, it merely meant that the “system” moved him up in priority. In the end, he was operated on 3 months after being diagnosed.
My dad recovered fully and quickly after surgery.
Patient’s final bill: $0.
EXAMPLE 2
A friend of mine collapsed one day while shopping at a mall, experiencing excruciating pain in her lower back. She was rushed to the ER at a local hospital, but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. After two weeks of testing, our doctors gave her the bad news - they diagnosed her with an extremely rare spinal condition, one that affects 1 in 60 MILLION people. In all of Canada, this condition has been diagnosed a total of 3 times since 2001.
As our doctors had such little expertise with this condition, my friend’s only option was to consult a specialist in Boston, followed by surgery and 45 days of observation/testing. Price tag? $370,000 US.
As it turned out, because this was not a procedure that could be done in Canada, Canada’s Health Act obligated our government to send her to Boston to get treated.
My friend has since recovered and is doing fine.
Patient’s final bill: airfare/hotel for her family to visit (which was not included)
EXAMPLE 3
As it turns out, I have a flu.
Yesterday, I came down with a fever, cough, chills, body aches…all the symptoms of…H1N1!
So I checked into Dr. E’s office, who I like because he’s brutally honest and is a cool guy. The conversation goes something like this:
"The last time I saw you, you were blue in the face! What can I do for you today?"
"Well, doc, I think I have the flu." [I describe the symptoms, and he verifies]
"OK. I think you have the flu." [scribbles something on a notepad] Take this to the drugstore.
"Is it H1N1?"
"I dunno."
"Huh, what do you mean you don’t know? Can you test for it?"
"NO FUCKING WAY, amigo. I’m not wasting taxpayer resources to test you. Just deal with it!"
[stunned] "OK. Whatever you say, doc. Thanks."
I walk into my local Shoppers Drug Mart, hand the pharmacist my slip, and he prescribes me some drugs. I take it and start walking out. Halfway towards the door, I realized I hadn’t paid for it, so I walk back to the counter.
“Oh sorry… I forgot to pay for this”
“Don’t worry, the government’s got it.”
“Really? Wow...ok thanks.”
End result? I still don’t know if I have H1N1, but I’m supposedly recovering from government-provided drugs.
A couple notes to finish…
1) Healthcare in Canada is NOT free. All of us enroll in a mandatory public insurance program. We pay hundreds of dollars into this every year, but the poorest and most vulnerable are given a full rebate, so essentially they pay nothing. This gives the perception that “healthcare” is free. If all Americans were required to subscribe to an insurance program, health care in the US would probably look very different, too.
Two distinct differences: our “premium” is a lot less, because part of it is covered by taxes; also, coverage is typically near 100%, so out of pocket costs for patients are generally close to zero.
2) Misconception: people die waiting for surgery in Canada. This is 99.9% false. There is the rare isolated case, but by and large people do get the care they need. No one in Canada dies because they couldn’t afford a procedure. However, the road to health in Canada is not necessarily the quickest or most stressless (read: Example 1).
What do you think?
Cabdriver: "You’re from Canada, huh?"
Yak: "Yes sir."
"I’ve heard a lot about you Canadians. Especially this so-called communist healthcare of yours."
"EH? What’s communist healthcare?"
"Well…I've heard some scary things from [INSERT LIMBAUGH, COULTER, OTHER FAVORITE FOX-CHENEY OPERATIVE] about how your system is dangerous."
"Hmm…really? I guess if you saw it on a credible news network like FOX, I guess it MUST be true." [Yes, I’m an ass.]
It’s hard talking about health care even in Canada. Why? Well, it’s like religion up here. You just don’t mess with an institution. Is it good? Is it bad? Well…the answers aren’t always black and white.
Here are a few conflicting examples that have touched my own life. Think of them as mini-cases for debate…
EXAMPLE 1
A few years ago, my dad discovered a tumour in his head, right behind the earlobe. Initially, it was quite small and benign, but he still needed brain surgery. So, the specialist, put him on the surgery wait list (as is common practice in Canada) - 4 months until they had an opening for him. Four months? My dad’s life was at stake here, isn’t this considered non-elective surgery?
We were told our alternative would be to check into an US clinic on our own, but given that surgeon Dr. P was one of the best in Canada, it would only be an "upgrade" if the surgery was done at a top 5 hospital such as those in Boston or Los Angeles. Price tag? $450,000 US, so needless to say, that wasn’t an option for us.
Meanwhile, while waiting for surgery, my dad’s tumour doubled in size. Had this happened in the US, I’m quite certain some hospital’s ass would’ve been grass, accompanied with a buffet of lawsuits. In Canada, it merely meant that the “system” moved him up in priority. In the end, he was operated on 3 months after being diagnosed.
My dad recovered fully and quickly after surgery.
Patient’s final bill: $0.
EXAMPLE 2
A friend of mine collapsed one day while shopping at a mall, experiencing excruciating pain in her lower back. She was rushed to the ER at a local hospital, but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. After two weeks of testing, our doctors gave her the bad news - they diagnosed her with an extremely rare spinal condition, one that affects 1 in 60 MILLION people. In all of Canada, this condition has been diagnosed a total of 3 times since 2001.
As our doctors had such little expertise with this condition, my friend’s only option was to consult a specialist in Boston, followed by surgery and 45 days of observation/testing. Price tag? $370,000 US.
As it turned out, because this was not a procedure that could be done in Canada, Canada’s Health Act obligated our government to send her to Boston to get treated.
My friend has since recovered and is doing fine.
Patient’s final bill: airfare/hotel for her family to visit (which was not included)
EXAMPLE 3
As it turns out, I have a flu.
Yesterday, I came down with a fever, cough, chills, body aches…all the symptoms of…H1N1!
So I checked into Dr. E’s office, who I like because he’s brutally honest and is a cool guy. The conversation goes something like this:
"The last time I saw you, you were blue in the face! What can I do for you today?"
"Well, doc, I think I have the flu." [I describe the symptoms, and he verifies]
"OK. I think you have the flu." [scribbles something on a notepad] Take this to the drugstore.
"Is it H1N1?"
"I dunno."
"Huh, what do you mean you don’t know? Can you test for it?"
"NO FUCKING WAY, amigo. I’m not wasting taxpayer resources to test you. Just deal with it!"
[stunned] "OK. Whatever you say, doc. Thanks."
I walk into my local Shoppers Drug Mart, hand the pharmacist my slip, and he prescribes me some drugs. I take it and start walking out. Halfway towards the door, I realized I hadn’t paid for it, so I walk back to the counter.
“Oh sorry… I forgot to pay for this”
“Don’t worry, the government’s got it.”
“Really? Wow...ok thanks.”
End result? I still don’t know if I have H1N1, but I’m supposedly recovering from government-provided drugs.
A couple notes to finish…
1) Healthcare in Canada is NOT free. All of us enroll in a mandatory public insurance program. We pay hundreds of dollars into this every year, but the poorest and most vulnerable are given a full rebate, so essentially they pay nothing. This gives the perception that “healthcare” is free. If all Americans were required to subscribe to an insurance program, health care in the US would probably look very different, too.
Two distinct differences: our “premium” is a lot less, because part of it is covered by taxes; also, coverage is typically near 100%, so out of pocket costs for patients are generally close to zero.
2) Misconception: people die waiting for surgery in Canada. This is 99.9% false. There is the rare isolated case, but by and large people do get the care they need. No one in Canada dies because they couldn’t afford a procedure. However, the road to health in Canada is not necessarily the quickest or most stressless (read: Example 1).
What do you think?