I love Canadian health care. It is fantastic. Most nations accept that public defenders, judges and government attorneys/prosecutors are a good thing - that everyone should have a professional to care for their political/social self - and I believe the same philosophy applies to public doctors - that everyone should have top notch professionals to care for their physical selves. In my opinion, public courts with private health care is akin to admitting that social health is a "right", but physical health is not. That, to me, is ridiculous.
The above idea is my philosophy on health care. The ideas below are my politics:
Just a brief note to anyone who needs to hear it: Canadian health care does not suck. Personally, I have no horse in the race for fixing American health care. If the American people want private health care, then it doesn't affect me in anyway. I have Canadian health care - it's free and it keeps my nation extremely healthy.
What bothers me however, are the lies being spread about how Canadians in general feel about health care. Well, all I can do is give one Canadian's personal experiences with health care...
If I get sick, I have a few options. I can go to any of the medical centers located within easy traveling distance (often walking distance) of my home and see a doctor within an hour or so - usually less. If I am really sick, I can go to the emergency room - one of the six emergency rooms located within twenty minutes of my house in Montreal. When I lived in the suburbs of Edmonton, Alberta, I had about the same number of emergency rooms within a twenty minute drive of my home. The wait time at the regular doctor in Alberta was even less. Emergency room wait times, in my experience are usually less than a few hours. On a busy night, or at a particularly busy hospital, these go up to about six hours - but that's rare. In any case, basic medical centers with regular doctors were open until late into the night, so one rarely went to the emergency room.
I don't fill out insurance forms, I just show my health care card. If I've never been to a particular place before, I fill out a medical history, but that's it. My health care covers 80% of all drug costs. As an Alberta resident still, I pay absolutely nothing - no premiums, nothing - for basic health care. Blue cross there, which covers dental, optical and drugs - costs a bit, but as a university student I am covered under the plan my college has.
If I want a second opinion, I just go to see another doctor. In Quebec things are a bit different, as I have to pay 60 dollars each time I see a doctor up front, which gets sent back to me through the mail by the Alberta government. Still though, no insurance forms. The doctors are professional, efficient, and get things right as much as possible. I love my health care in Canada, as much as the Rocky Mountains, Montreal nightlife, or my career. Perhaps not more than my girlfriend though - though she is also Canadian, so whatever.
Nevertheless, any complaints about Canadian health care should be taken within the context of wanting improvements to the current system, not a desire for a different one. Governments here have been thrown out of office, or nearly so, at the mere mention of privatization. Except in Alberta, my home province, where a small amount of privatization has occurred - and where the government just announced that it was getting rid of any kind of premium at all (the first province in Canada to do so). People only go to the private doctor if they want a test done sooner rather than later, which they very rarely do.
I take offense to any mischaracterizations of the Canadian health care system and how the general population feels about it. I feel it is a matter of patriotism to dismiss such a besmirching of our reputation. Americans have their Right to bear arms, we have our Right to health care - both are matters each country should hold dear. American supporters of private health care can battle with supporters of public health care in their country as much as they want to within their own country - but STOP bringing us into it unless you characterize things more honestly!!!
And no, I am not saying "please".
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I am a Canadian trained American internist. I would agree with you that Canadian Medicare is very good and better than what we have here.
ReplyDeleteI would add that no one in Canada or from Canada in the USA ever stands up for their own Canadian Medicare, so conservative American elements get away with all sorts of ridiculous stuff.
You need a couple of pit bulls to bark back. Many elements in the USA would be grateful to you for that.
I think that Canada could afford an announcement to that effect on American television like during the Super Bowl.
Then American media would interview people on the street in To and the Chuck and in QC.
Until then opportunists here will compare Canada to North Korea and think that they can away with it.
They will sometimes.
Bohdan A. Oryshkevich, MD, MPH