[Max in Utah]

Ping to:

WANT FREE HEALTH CARE - MOVE TO CANADA AND YOU CAN EXPECT THE FOLLOWING:

Soliciting comments on this piece.

[fanfan]

Not much to add to this piece, Max.

At first glance it looks correct.

I'll take another look at the letter when I get home.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Just a few things:

1) Premiums vary by province — some don’t charge any. The premiums only cover a fraction of the costs; with the rest coming from taxes. It’s not “free”, regardless.

2) We have a lot of walk-in (”free”)clinics in B.C. — they take most of the nonemergency load from hospital emergency rooms, so it’s not that bad. If you do have an emergency, be sure to get to the hospital by ambulance. Anyone on a stretcher goes right past all the walk-ins in the waiting room. That rule seems to apply everywhere.

3) The health care system works reasonably well for most people most of the time. That’s why it remains sacred (literally) to most Canadians. The writer’s point #2 is mostly right.

4) The “health diagnosis system” breaks down when expensive, cutting-edge equipment (e.g. MRI) is required. Canada has a fraction of the MRI machines per capita compared to the U.S., and there are long wait-lists for potentially life-saving diagnosis.

5) The system is addictive. Once you’ve got it, you’re probably stuck with it. This is partly because people forget that they’re paying for health care from their taxes — or, they’re happy to let other people pick up the tab. People also forget that there are alternatives — in particular private insurance.