Is there a Health Care crisis in Canada?

Question

To hear American Conservatives describe the situation, there are dead Canadians lying in the streets because of Nationalized Health Care.
Have the Canadians (or people in Germany and Israel for that matter) taken to the streets in protest to demand the right to buy Blue Cross Blue Shield policies at $500 per month?

Answer 1

I am recovering from a level 6 tibia plateau fracture in Calgary, Alberta. I broke my leg on a quad 6 hours from home. I had an hour ambulance drive to the 1st hospital, a 1/2 hour helicopter ride to the second hospital, where I was 4 days, then a 3 hour ambulance ride to the 3rd hospital where they did the surgery a day later. After 2 days post op., they sent me home. Excellent care: 9 pins, 2 plates, pain meds. and AWESOME nurses. The total cost: $737.00 for the initial ambulance ride. My fault..opted out of work insurance policy. Health care in Canada is darned good, but it is crowded and stressed. You can spend a couple hours in emergency admitting easily, and the health care staff run their butts of big time. Thanks to all those who worked on me..even the Ortho Surgeon I don't like. By the way, Alberta Health care is, I think, $84.00 per month.

Answer 2

As a Canadian the only 2 complaints I have about the system is that money is going in and disappearing so funds are not being used properly, and in Quebec there are language laws which forced non francophone nurses out of the province and some went south too.

We like our system but it could be better.

Edit: Actually the main problem is our system is always compare to your down south so we except it for what it is. I would rather you guys get a good system to make us compete, euro's system seems too far for our politicians to consider.

Answer 3

Crisis? No. Room for improvement? Certainly. I live in Canada with my wife and 3 boys. I live in a province where we don't pay any monthly premiums. My wife has a supplemental insurance with her work that covers most prescriptions, eyeglasses and dental care. All of us wear glasses, each year we all have regular dental visits and a fine family doctor. Last year we spent less than $100.00 on health care including 5 emergency room visits and one son having 2 teeth broken (baseball accident). Only way to go for us. There can be wait times for elective surgeries and such but the entire system is based on severity of your illness or injury. About the only unfortunate thing wrong with our system is having a for profit health care system next door as we have a chronic shortage of doctors and nurses that head south for better money. Honestly neighbors, our health care system is doing fine and if you think about it for a second, we all pay taxes, ours covers our health and is something we all see and have access to each and every day. Which sounds better, health care for better health or health care for profit? Have a great day all...

Answer 4

3 yrs ago I got sick & almost died. I had to go to the emergency room because I was new in the state of FL & no doctor would see me, as my Drs were still in NY (they all said to go to ER). I had to wait in the ER 9 hrs before they finally admitted me with double pneumonia & some kind of tropical infection that I contracted who-knows-where. I spent 4 days in ICU & a total of 11 days in hospital. Although I had excellent health insurance through an employer's plan, I still almost died because of delays in diagnosis & admittance. Is this good med care? I think we can do a lot better.

Answer 5

I’m sure that there is room for improvement in all of the various universal health care systems in Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia, etc.

Not one of those countries, however, is trying to dump its universal health care system in order to have the mess of a health care system that we have here in the US. Cons are clueless when they talk about health care.