Canada has free health care, why can't the United States do the same thing?

Question

I don't understand if Canada can do it then why can't the USA do it, it's not like we don't have the same resouces. I have a sneaking suspition that it's a government thing, maybe they would loose all of their kick back from the pharmceutical companies, I don't know. Just thought I would lay this question out there to read some others opinions.

Answer 1

Nothing is free, Canadian tax payers pay for the "free" medical care. The care is also substandard compared to what we in the U.S. are used to. Border towns see Canadian patients at US hospitals regularly because they can't be seen in Canada. They have to pay the Canada tax, can't get medical coverage in Canada, so they have to pay US medical bills as well just to be seen. The last people I want running my medical care is the Federal Government. I am a retired veteran and have been dealing with the VA for some of my medical issues. They are not efficient at all, and I would hate to think that I had to rely on them for all of my medical needs. There is a reason why the wealthy from countries like Canada and the U.K. come to the US instead of their free socialized medical care. At least here they can get PROPER medical care!

Answer 2

Only knew one person that was student in Canada and got good care. In the doc. Sicko it's stated waiting time to see doctor is less than USA, and that would make sense since scarcity could not be used to raise fees. Because they don't have extremely wasteful duplication of services there is a waiting period for some services same as many areas of USA but they are honest about it so get the hunch they have developed system based on level of need but only a hunch. In everything there are some people that must get what they want when they want it. Kind of remember they worked out some type of compromise about abortion where fee is charged to discourage having one, but very unsure how they work it. A lot of years ago this person that was totally apposed to abortion thought compromise was reasonable. Friend got his medication with small co-payment. Don't know about age question, but would make guess there are far less organs for transplant in Canada, because of far less people without basic health care dying.

Answer 3

Canada does not have free health care. It is simply financed from the taxes.
This way the patient (you) does not decide which doctor he visits, but he gets treatment from the doctor appointed by a bureaucrat, in a hospital which exists in a politicians election grounds.
The drugs also do not cost less- some of the price is simply paid from the taxes. The overall price is probably higher than in the US. The only difference is that you don't see the money flowing.
Let me give you some figures- they relate to Poland (my country) but the system is exactly the same.
We get "free" education, "free" health care, "free" retirement benefits.
At the same time if you employ someone, and spend on hiring him 1000 US$ (which means his work is worth to you at least 1010 US$) the amount of with held taxes comes to a whoping 68%- meaning your employee will _see_ a salary of 320 US$.
From that he still has to pay income tax (variable- 19% to 45%), and a sales tax of 22%.
so much for "free"health care

So- do you find it surrising that (since we joined the EU) out of 37 milion Poles, some 5 milion have emigrated? which means just about everyone who could speak a few words in a foreign language?

Answer 4

As a Canadian living in Western Canada I have never experienced any major problems with our Health Care. I had a colinoscopy in February and only had to wait 6 weeks to ger in from the initial date of the appointment.

As well my wife has had two cataract operations on her eyes and never waited longer than 2 months from the initial appointments. I would sooner pay for a system that works rather than to have no system at all like in the United States and on top of it how many times have outfits running your Medicare being charged with ripping off the government.

You Americans better be a little concerned about your own backyard than to worry about your neighbors. At least Canada's National debt isn't at 9 Trillion or $30,000 per American. You Yanks are living on borrowed time and it will be only time until Peter has to pay Paul. Like Great Britain once a World Power so is the United States soon to be no longer a World Power..

Answer 5

Because a physician in the U.S. earns 3 times more ( I was really shocked to learn the average in the US is only $300,000 - the doctors I know all earn $1-$5 million a year). Drug companies charge 10 times more, But the real losers would be the insurance companies, since they would go out of business.

Therefore, they have spent billions convincing the profession and the public that the US has the best system (which it does not) and the Canadian system doesn't work (but it does).

All of Europe and Canada have a healthcare system. Only the US and third-world countries don't (BTW my wife is a doctor and she agrees with me)

Answer 6

It's most definitely not free.

In Canada you pay for health care whether you are sick or not. The government there takes a giant chunk of your paycheck every month and calls it "free."

Canada also has the great luxury of living next door to the worlds best health care provider so that they can take our patented medicine and give out generics and come to the US when they need a surgery but won't live through the six month wait time.

Where would we go if we tried to pull the same thing?

You could also say goodbye to all the incredible medicines developed in the United States if we went to their system.

Answer 7

It is not just Canada that has universal healthcare. Every developed nation in the world unsures that none of it's people go without health insurance. And every one of them spends less per capita (private plus public spending) on health care than the US. And every one of them produces better health statistics than the US. And every one of them was recently ranked higher in the World Health Organizations listing of health care systems.
And yet Republicans are so removed from reality that rather than address this chronic failure in our system they actually say our health care is the best in the world and spread lies about waiting lists and lack of choice pretending this is killing people. (choice is no more limited than it is under a HMO - potentially less so - designing the system is up to US). The bottom line is Canada's (and every other developed nation's) health system is more successful at keeping children and adults alive (as measured by child mortality and life expectancy) and at keeping them healthy (as measured by healthy life expectancy).

Answer 8

The thing is that we spend the most on our health care and people dont want to wait as long as the people in Canada do. Its a mess in US but I doubt theres enough money to pay for all the diagnositic equipment as well as Cancer treatment so they would have to cap it. Nothing is free

Answer 9

There are two reasons:

One of the largest soruces of campaign contributions in this country is the pharmaceutical industry, which is enjoying record profits, by the way. That's why every attempt so far at "reform" protects their profits.

Americans have the delusion that they are overtaxed. Oddly, this is especially prevalent among the rich, who often pay little or no tax at all. We have by far the lowest tax rate of any developed nation. It's strange that whenever we talk about meeting people's needs we hear "we can't possibly afford it," but when it comes to blowing people up, there's an endless supply of money.

Answer 10

If it walks like a duck. I didn't want to believe it, that people where so crass, but I guess it's so. The old system is crashing and some are really worried. Their afraid of the inevitable future. I'm more afraid of the warped past.