Personal experiences with healthcare in Canada?

I think I initially posted this on the wrong board by accident:

I am currently doing some comparison research on the Canadian healthcare system vs. U.S. system. While I have lots of useful stats, I am looking for any Canadians with personal experience of the system.
Any of our brethren and sistren from the north got anything?
I'm looking for good, bad, or just "hmmmm" stories.

Thx.

What do you want to know? I've been in for pretty much everything short of brain surgery so I might be able to shed some light on the subject...

I've gone to the hospital due to various emergencies, such as having a 104 degree fever, an allergic reaction to antibiotics, a broken nose, stitches in my forehead, and the only personal cost to me has been for any medication I've needed, but even then, cost hasn't been over 100$ I love that I never have to worry about if I will be crushed by debt because of an accident (other than if I couldnt work due to illness)

Sure, but ask him how long he had to wait before a doctor actually examined him.

In hindsight, you can't blame the emergrency room with being stuffed and then having the nice time consumers of everyone on staff combo of a heart-attacked old geezer, and some bullet filled gangbanger

My experiences have been that it provides a decent level of healthcare for everyone. As Manchester_Black stated, it's great in a time of a medical emergency to know that you won't be screwed because you lack the money to pay for a procedure. Having said that, Arete reflects the feelings of many Canadians. There's not enough money in the system to prevent lengthy waits for tests and the less common procedures.

Oh, I might also add that when my father was in an ICU before he passed away, the care was topnotch. I think our critical care is very good.

[Edited on Apr 03, 2005 by 730A_trixel_fem]

Thanks, guys, this is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for.
You see, I have govt. stats on funding, bed/service availability, vital stats, etc., etc. What I would like to include is :
What kind of good experiences people have had (i.e. having things taken care of regardless of ability to pay or insurance status; being able to get care anywhere; getting adequate, skilled care, etc.) Especially things that Americans might not realize (and here I'm in the dark - I really don't know what to ask)
Bad experiences (i.e. long waits for non-emergency care; inadequate or unskilled care; lack of choice, etc.) Again, things that non-Canadians might not know.
And the biggie - any other kind of experience that struck you as weird (like, did you notice strange priorities in madication funding - the way we have govt. coverage for Viagra, but not women's birth control meds?)

But most importantly, things that have you have seen directly, not heard second- or third-hand.

And again - thanks everybody for their responses. I put this up on the CE board first by accident.
I still don't think anyone has responded there.


[Edited on Apr 03, 2005 by skeptik]

Oh yeah, and I just thought of something else.
Something which I have seen tossed around, but never heard any actual evidence for: Canadians who can afford it, cross into the U.S. (Detroit is usually the specific city mentioned) to get higher quality care, and avoid lengthy delays. Has anybody, Americans included, seen this substantiated? I know I'm being a bit of a mooch, but links would be helpful - mostly since I'm a bit skeptical that it happens very much.
Having worked for quite a while at one of the major teaching hospitals in Boston, I fully understand the phenomenon of the "international patient" - usually someone wealthy enough to afford the top specialists in the world - but this is different.

Thx

I've never been to the emergency room, however I have made ample use of walk in clinics. I've found that the care I've received has been very good for the most part. The doctors have known there stuff and have had ready access to all the equipment and lab facilities that they need. I've also found that the clinic I use is usually not over crowded, the shortest wait I've had before being seen there was about 10 minutes the longest wait was about 2 hours but that was at the height of the flu season. I've found the length of waiting lists varies widely depending on the specialist you are trying to see. When I was 15 I had stomach problems and I wound up on 6 month long waiting list before I could see an internist. On the other hand 2 years ago I had a problem with my eyes, I was referred to an optometrist on Tuesday and I was able to get an appointment for that Friday. Most dentistry is not covered in Ontario ( other provinces may be different) but I've had problems with my teeth steaming from an accident I had years ago and the vast majority of that treatment I've had to pay for on my own, luckily I've always had dental coverage through my parents or my job. Still I like the fact that for most things I can simply walk into a clinic or a hospital and present my government health card and be assured of a reasonable level of care without having to worry about being bankrupted. I would hate to be in a position to have to choose between medical treatment and paying the rent.

waiting lists are so long because EVERYONE who is even a little worried about anything can get it checked out for pennies.

For a little while in the mid 1990's the Ontario government tried to alleviate a backlog in the system by sending some patients who had spent a long time on waiting lists for cancer care to the USA. I'll see if I can find a link to an article.
Edited to say that I can't find anything about it on-line, maybe some one else will have better luck.


[Edited on Apr 04, 2005 by daggx]

One thing you have to understand about Canadian healthcare is that this issue (ability to pay) is moot. If you're sick, and you're admitted, you're taken care of. Period. If you have a government-issued healthcard, you're good to go. In theory, you can see any doctor/hospital/clinic you like, though when I was home over the Christmas holidays, I'm told that some family doctors in Ontario are restricting new patients due to high volumes. Previous to that, all my personal doctor visits were walk in, slap down the health card, and wait my turn.

Having gone through both the US and Canadian systems to some degree, the biggest difference would be the fact that a covered indivdual doesn't have to settle any money with the doctor, clinic or hospital for care. (Perscriptions are another matter, they're only partially covered.) Your healthcard is used to bill the government for services rendered. In the US, there's "find an HMO/doctor covered under your plan", "bring money for the co-payment" and restrictions on treatment for some "pre-existing conditions".

One thing I noticed was that different doctors and nurses in the U.S. repeatedly asked if I was covered by an insurance plan. As a Canadian, this comes off as odd, because it suggests that the doctor/hospital may withhold treatment otherwise.

Universities in Ontario (at least, while I was there), offered free birth-control pills for all female students, as well as free condoms for males. I can't speak to the availability of birth control measures for females outside university, though.

Anyways, hope my two cents helps you out some.

--N

Canadian Healthcare:

Best in the World

Canada is also the best country in the world

In Canada, is it literally not POSSIBLE to get private healthcare if you really want it?

In Vancouver, I know that youth clinics give out free birth control to anyone who comes in, and I think that there are women's centers that do the same thing. They can be kind of sketchy though....so I usually just get it through my doctor. I have to say that when I started getting it, it was great to be able to just walk in and talk to my doctor about it without having to worry about paying for the appointment.... I don't think I could have afforded to go otherwise, and I couldn't afford to tell my parents at the time either.

I just want to thank everyone who has responded so far. Your answers are very much appreciated.

Oh, and keep'em coming!





Thx

This is a very contentious issue up here and for the most part the answer is no.

Seeing your family doctor is the same process as in the US (except it's free).

The hospital emergency ward experience will vary depending upon how sick you are. Life threatening issues are dealt with immediately. You might be waiting for hours on a busy night if you need a few stitches.

Some specialists and specific tests, such as MRI's can be booked up for quite some time. Years ago I was quite sick and needed an MRI as part of the diagnosis - I had it within 24 hours. A less critical patient might have waited months. Situations like this are usually the source of the " waiting for months for a life saving test" stories that are floated south of the border everytime someone brings up "socialized medicine" - which we call universal health care.

The comparison to health care in the US depends upon ones situation.

The poor are infinitely better off.
The average person (with average medical insurance) probably receives about the same quality of care.
The wealthy (or those with a top notch medical plan) probably wait less and are more pampered than they would be in Canada.

if they have private healthcare, it would be much more like Britain's helthcare, which has both. (but this almost destroys the system, because most doctors would like to be paid more and they can do that with private healthcare... at least that's how it was explained to me)

do you have to be a canadian citizen to recieve free healthcare?
or live there?
(i am a citizen, though i don't live there, and i was just curious)

Thank you all, you've been very helpful.
Next time I'm in Canada, I'll have to take you all out for martinis or something.