If you think Canuckcare is starting to look troublesome, just wait until Obamacare smears its shit on the walls.
The cost of healthcare in Canada is a fraction per capita of what it is in the US. Changes being touted are not in the sort of direction that right-wing Americans would like.
By the way, I'd just like to say I recently had surgery. Took 4 days to get an MRI, and a neurosurgeon replaced my herniated disc exactly one week after he discussed those MRI results with me. Any wait would more than likely have degraded the use of my right arm and severely degrade the quality of masturbation. I also now have a nice scar in my neck that will be the centerpiece of my stories to ladies I'm pumping full of booze.
The debate right now is the cost the pharmacies charge as their 'dispensing fees' (which vary from pharmacy to pharmacy) and to cut costs by promoting the generic, rather than the big name drug brand (to which pharmacists and doctors recieve kick backs for). So to bring the costs down for the government (and consumers), it's a win. For pharmacies, not so much. That said, no government that wants to stay in power (and lets face it, politicians run for elections for the power), is going to touch healthcare with a 40 foot pole. There is, however, differences to both the funding and the handling of the health care system that vary province to province. Ontario (where I live) is the wealthiest province, so our healthcare budget is pretty good. Me, or any of my family, have had, over the years, excellent care from our health care system.
And yet we're struggling to find money to pay for it. Obamacare ain't exactly cheap either in case you haven't noticed. Been happening a long time. Numerous clinics in Alberta provide hip, knee and other surgeries, including MRIs, CAT scans, etc, etc for a fee. In fact these clinics are being used by the government for contracted work as well.
Most people in Canada get quality care. But we can't ignore costs. Even Alberta and Ontario, who have the most money to blow need to re-assess the budget and get things in line. The key in all of this is that each province can make changes accordingly. That is the reason our system will survive, and with a few tweaks here and there I think it can work pretty good. But a completely federal government run system is only going to be a disaster.
Exactly. I happen to think that a good two-tier system in the way to go. But the US is fucked 3 ways from last Sunday when it comes to making changes. And I blame most of that on incompetent politicians who are greedy and power hungry.
I debated an Australian co-worker a while back about the merits of our respective systems. I pointed out that our system is MUCH more responsive, that waiting times for surgery and such is much shorter. He dismissed that with a "Yeah, maybe for elective procedures..." The problem is: unless you're going to die without it, any surgery is elective. Your herniated disk is not a life-threatener, therefore you can wait eight to ten months for it, right? Grandma's hip replacement is not a matter of life-and-death, so we can put it off a year or two, right?
You should be willing to live with those delays, on the chance that it might afford your less-fortunate neighbors access to medical care.
Back in September, I had my first "very special" doctor's appointment. Within a week i was having that "very special" scoping... Last time I had my I.G. hernia dealt with it was 4 weeks from GP to OR...
When did Ontario become ALL OF CANADA? That's equivalent to thinking Texas = the entire United States.
I can only relate my experience with the health care system in my province, as it's the only one I live in. We have a federal government, who assigns a budget to the province, then the provincial government spends it. I know, from a friend on Facebook, for example, the the British Columbia system of health care is different than in Ontario (where we are given an OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) card at birth, that has a number assigned to each member of the province. You have to show/swipe this card each time we visit the doctor/clinic/health professional. That said, health care is still a Canadian institute-we all have it and don't pay out of pocket for it (except by way of taxes!), but it's run a little different in each province (or territory). ETA: Just in case you Americans (the Texas = America analagy doesn't work for Federal Government/Province here) want to know the political structure in Canada and who is responsible for what: http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/government/government.html It's a teacher site, but correct in the information.
Oooo, who didn't see that one coming? See, here in Tennessee, we've got a Medicaid program called TennCare, which tried to be what Obamacare wants to be. It didn't work. It's been the biggest budget boondoggle the state has and TennCare is having to cut patients and services keep the deficits down.
I'd be more concerned about population in general right now if I lived in Canada or Europe. I'd start offering tax exceptions and special government subsidies in exchange for families that produce 3 or more children of native ethnic stock.
Provinces regulate their own budget. FedGov just helps pay for it. And they set up a charter that all provinces must adhere too. Its a decent enough system if you can mix in some private health care too.
Well, more in the lines of people having the option to pay for that Heart Surgery in Canada rather than having to go to the Mayo Clinic in the US. We allow MRIs and stuff like that on the private side, alone with certain knee surgeries, but its taking too long to get that approved.
