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I've never run into problems personally, though I've never needed major medical treatment. The one time I went to the ER, I had to wait about four hours, but that was on the day of a freezing rain storm when people were flooding in with injuries from falls. I go to my family doctor for my regular checkups and get my blood work done every six months (usually have to wait a half hour or so--big deal). I do NOT have to fear that medical expenses will bankrupt me. More to the point, neither does anyone else.
Add to that, I think that the universal medicare system acts as a social binding factor--everyone's in it together for better or worse, everyone shares the benefits and the hassles. I tried to explain to my mother-in-law that the Candian health system makes sense only if you quit asking, "What can you get out of it?" and instead ask, "How does this help make a compassionate, fair, and caring society?" Well, I tried, anyway, but she just kept asking what you can get out of it...
Okay. Well, what you can get out of it is universal availability of necessary medical care. You get it, your neighbour gets it, your friends get it, your enemies get it. There are waiting times for a lot of treatments, but... well, what happens in the US system if you need hip replacement and you have no insurance? Your waiting time could last the rest of your life. That said, everyone's aware that waiting times are a problem--there are only so many doctors, nurses, med techs, MRIs, operating rooms, etc., and there's always the seductive beast to the south trying to recruit Canadian health professionals. That's probably the greatest enemy of the Canadian health care system.
That my two cents, anyway. Bottom line: I was born in the US and was often was unemployed and without health insurance; that sometimes cost me. I moved to Canada in 1990, and again have sometimes been unemployed, but have never been without access to health care, and I never will be--not for the entire rest of my life. So... we report, you decide. :evilgrin:
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