Canadians......answer please!!!! (best answer)?

Question

so just today i heard that canada has universal health care.....

and at first i was a bit jealouse (i live in the U.S.).....but then i heard that the wait time in the doctor is rediculous and the quality isnt as great. is this true?

do you like having universal health care?

what are the pro's and cons.......

i will choose best answer and thanks in advance.

Answer 1

My husband (Canadian) had to wait 4 years for a knee surgery, so the wait can be long. His friend from work also waited about the same length of time. Just to see his primary care doctor, he may have to wait a month or two. He does like having universal health care because he doesn't have to worry about paying for it like we Americans have to pay for ours. Theirs get paid through taxes which is why they pay more in taxes than we do. I wonder when that Sony Blade chick or whatever her name is will appear and message everyone saying they're wrong and know nothing about what they're talking about.

Answer 2

Yes, Canada has government health care.  It's not "universal" because it doesn't necessarily cover everything.   If for example, a woman wanted breast implants, a tummy tuck or face lift or some other cosmetic surgery, unless there was a legitimate medical reason, health care wouldn't pay for it and she'd have to go to a private clinic.  Yes it's true that one can wait months or longer for non-life threatening procedures such as hip or knee replacement surgeries.   Several answers here have said that you have to wait a month or more to see your GP.  I've never experienced that.  I phone the office and make an appointment.  Generally I get in to see him within a couple of days.  If it's urgent he'll see me the same day.   Life threatening illness such as cancer is treated quickly and efficiently.  My mother-in-law is a 'snow-bird' who spends 6 months of the year in Florida.  A couple of years ago, while in Florida she noticed a lump and went to a Dr. in Florida.  They did tests and discovered a malignant tumor in her nasal cavity of all places.   She could have undergone treatment in Florida, but instead opted to return to Canada for treatment.  She underwent chemo and radiation treatments and today is cancer free.  Not bad for an 82 year old woman.  

In general terms the downside to socialized medicine as much as anything is people who abuse the system.  Emergency rooms are full of people and probably close to half of them are there because they have a sore throat.  My last trip to ER was when my wife fell and badly twisted her ankle.  Eleven o'clock at night and the young woman ahead of us was holding a contentedly sleeping baby who she said was suffering from an ear ache!!!  Thankfully, they prioritize and my wife, although arriving after this young woman saw the ER physician first.

On the pro side,  a serious illness won't bankrupt you.  

I'd say that the quality of care is as good here in Canada as it is anywhere.  It's basic, efficient, imperfect but better than most other parts of the world.

No it does not include dental.

Answer 3

Are you serious you just heard about this today? Um, thats kind of odd, did you crawl out of a cave? I'm just kidding but that is kind of wierd...

Canada has a very fine health care system...people are just so ungrateful for all we have.

Answer 4

Yes, it's true that people in Canada have to wait for a month or maybe more to get health care. This is beacause they don't have many doctors(because the doctors in Canada don't get paid much). I like having the US health care because if ur sick, u can get a diagnosis right away, and why wait for health care when you can have it in a very short time and help cure yourself?? We're very lucky to have the health care we have. The con is that some people take advantage of our care so when they aren't even sick, they get health care and it takes up time that can be used for people that are REALLY sick.

Answer 5

yes we have universal health care. ive never had to go to the hospital but if i made an appointment with my doctor tomorrow morning i could have one for tuesday. i find that the quality i very good and the doctors friendly. a con is actually getting a doctor, i moved 4 years ago and it took 2 years on a waiting list to get one. oh another point (not pro or con) is that taxes pay for it, even though the taxes are higher i find that its way worth it

Answer 6

Well it makes the taxes higher, but no one has to suffer because they do not have the money to get better.

I think our doctors are great. Waits are norm. That does not include dental.

It makes me really sad when you hear about people in poverty because of medical debt down there.   I think our health care is good quality.

Answer 7

yeah,  you do, but you need this health card. The wait time is a bit long, but in provinces like ontario, the wait times are being shortened. The quality is very good. Universal health care is useful. Like, if you start hearing things, you don't have to pay some grand to know you have, say, schizophrenia, and then another grand to fix it. The problem is, you have higher taxes to pay for it. (14%)

Answer 8

Yes, we have universal health care but there's a lot of waiting involved. Seriously, bring a book or something because you'll be there a while.

It's good though, knowing that you'll always be given treatment...

as long as you don't bleed to death in the waiting room.

Answer 9

canadians are weird.....lol

Answer 10

Yes it is true.  The quality of the health care is far from perfect.  The 6th leading cause of death in Canada is medical errors.   I believe that is pretty outrageous.  I was almost a statistic myself.  I was operated on by a negligent surgeon who made a major error that almost cost me my life.  It took two more surgeries done by another surgeon in another hospital to correct the error.

If you are fortunate enough to have a family doctor, you can usually get an appointment within a couple of days.  But if for some reason, you have to be referred to a specialist, the wait can be up to 6 months.  

There are many walk-in clinics in Canada, where you can go in to see a doctor without an appointment, but the wait can be hours.

Also, after 65, all prescription medicine is free.

No it does not include dental or optical or chiropractic.

Answer 11

I think that the taxes are higher due to this universal health care.

Answer 12

What do you mean by universal health care? Universal means universe, which would include the entire world. I think you're referring to free public health care, which I am very grateful for.

Yes, the waiting time can be long at a hospital, and as for the quality, they do what they need to do. Well, I can't really blame them - free health care applies to all Canadians with a health care card, and they can go in there, wait in line and demand a band aid. There are many people that take advantage of the health care system, as oppose to America, where people are more cautious because they have to pay for any injury or ailment fixed/cured. I can't judge if it's 'great' but it is acceptable - I think for the long hours these people work they are doing a good job. And it's not always free - free health care can only go so far until the government and Canadians themselves lose money, as the money used to pay for health care is our taxes. The timing is horrible, and yes, many people die because of medical error, and the government can't act quickly, because it has to pass through the whole system (just like in America, I don't think they're much quicker) and we're in debt, as well (again, just like America). Health care is never without its problems!

Answer 13

the wait time is only for non urgent surgery

to see your own doctor or receive treatment in the emergency dep there is no wait

canadas health system works very well and i have never waited for anything

Answer 14

The quality varies from one province to another. However I am told that the private health care in the USA is not necessarily faster than our public one. That too can surely vary from one place to another in the USA.

The negative aspect of our public health care is that it is held hostage to government budgets, too much bureaucracy, and as a result some silly decisions and long waits.  I believe this is offset to a great degree by the

positive side:  When my wife was a little girl of about three years old, she fell down the stairs. Her family was extremely poor (had trouble getting food on the table). Well, she was crying, and probably screaming with pain. Her father grabbed her and shouted at her to shut up or else. (she had hurt her back). That memory has stayed in her for over 55 years.  Why did her father do that?  Because he was terrified. He knew he could never afford medical costs.

Another story:  When I was in the USA for a year, I met a guy who was in his late 20's, I think.  He told me that when he was seven years old he had broken his arm twice. His father had just finished paying for it!.

So, do I believe in a public medical system?  Free medical care for everybody? You bet I do.  Do i believe it could be improved? It not only could, but must be improved. It must be cleaned of corruption, and red tape must be reduced.  More doctors need to be brought in, at better salaries (in Quebec), because we are losing them to the USA.  Much more investment must be made in our health system.

Answer 15

It really depends on the doctor, but overall I can't complain. It is usually pretty quick to get a check up done. I don't know if there are any cons :S...the quality again depends on the person treating you, but i havent had much of a problem with the doctors here.

Answer 16

Try doing cancer in the US without any healthcare or insurance!

Answer 17

Well the good things are that you can just go to the hospital and they will help you and prescribe medication. however, sometimes you need to wait 2 months just for an appointment. but otherwise, i'd say its good.

Answer 18

hmm. the health care sucks. take it form someone who waited at the emergency for 6 hours with a broken collarbone. you have to be like shot or something for the doctor to see you immediantly.

Answer 19

Well i personally don't believe it has any pros unless of course you like the fact that everyone having the same subpar healthcare.

Government does nothing efficiently. Government run healthcare would be more of the same.

  Government does nothing cheaply. Government run healthcare would cost Americans much more than a free market system. Our economy would take a huge hit and standards of living would go down for everyone.

  Government officials would be in charge of your healthcare decisions, they would determine what treatment you get, what they are willing to pay for and what they are not. Healthcare would have to be rationed because the government would not be able to afford to give everything what they wanted. Some people would go without, older people would not get certain procedures because the government would deem it an unwise use of limited resources. There would be a myriad of places the government would cut corners.

   You would have no recourse, no where to turn if things did not go your way. Your typical last recourse is a government entity or judicial system. The government would control all aspects of your healthcare and all of your potential places to go for recourse if something did not go right.

  There would be no incentive for people to go through the rigorous schooling requirements to become a doctor if the government would be determining wages, limiting or regulating practices, or forcing healthcare providers to provide care without payment or at a payment set by the government.

   The United States has the greatest healthcare systems in the world currently, the best doctors, the best equipment & facilities and the best medications. Government control of all of this would ruin what we currently have.