Reply #12: I've had experiences with both systems. I'd choose Canada's any day.

[dustbunnie]

I found that there was excellent care available in the US, as long as you have a great job with great benies. It costs, and I couldn't have imagined making a move to quit or contemplate some other career choice because I'd be either not covered at all, or stuck with an inferior benefits program. The system in the US encourages a corpie slave mentality. And then on the other end of the spectrum, there are those not covered at all. An aquaintence got hit by a car and beyond running to the ER for a quick "yes you'll live" diagnosis, she got no care for her banged up body. She lived with pain for years.

Canada has its problems, highlighted recently by the death of Natasha Richardson. There are waiting lists, but it's also luck of the draw. I've known people who were on lists for surgery, told they'd have to wait months, but then ended up getting in after a week or so. An elderly family member was diagnosed with cancer, and because of her age, we were encouraged to let the disease run its course while keeping her comfortable.

In the US maybe she'd have had a chance at a few extra months or a year. In Canada, the greater good rules, and so the cost of keeping a 75-year-old alive for 3 months extra is banked against all the others that could be helped. That being said, I was amazed at the great care she received in the palliative care unit. My God, her room was enormous, beautiful view, showers for family members, and the docs and nurses were true angels. She passed in peace. In the US well, that would have cost a fortune.

Some of the problems in Canada arise from abuse of the system and shortage of doctors. My GP announced she was going into psychiatry so she could make a better living (she was kind of wacky so I shudder to think how her patients fare :) ) and although I have no figures, it's common knowledge that doctors have their salaries capped. Many move to the States to make more money. Brain drain is an issue. As for abuse here's two: My wacky GP was constantly late and it wasn't unusual for her office to fill up on a Monday morning. When you come in, the nurse swipes your Medicare card. On one occasion, 12 of us were informed, after waiting for eons, that she wasn't coming in at all. Only one person thought to tell the nurse to "unswipe" us. That would've been 12 "free" visits billed.

It's also not uncommon for people, as in some orthodox religious communities, to intermarry with Americans. The woman will claim her parents' address and keep up her medicare card. Although living in the States, she'll visit Canada twice a year for check-ups, have her children there, etc... At one point, there was joke about the religious bus that carted people back and forth from NYC once a month for that reason. Also, illegal immigration has risen sharply, Canada has taken in many refugees in the past years, and this also puts a strain on the system.

Some of Canada is sparsely populated, with pockets of people here and there and so it's probably more difficult to get services in the middle provinces. People who live in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal likely fare much better, and both Toronto and Montreal have world-renowned facilities, like Toronto Sick Kids for example.