Most working Canadians pay over a thousand per year and more for additional health care coverage above and beyond what they pay for in taxes... Drugs, eye care, physiotherapy, dental care... All of that comes out of our own pocket.
And waiting is essential. Waiting to see a specialist usually is a matter of months, sometimes many months and you can wait over a entire year and more for common Medical procedures such as cataract and hernia surgeries. Emergency surgery is quick and efficient, but emergency means emergency. Merely requiring a heart procedure such as stints or a bypass is not an emergency unless it’s life threatening.
Surprisingly, we do have some of the best medical doctors in the world working in Canada and the reason why is because of the lifestyle situation. You can usually send your children to public school and the need for living in gated communities is pretty much eliminated. So while Doctors make more stateside, there are some awesome perks to living in Canada.
Apparently there are some perks, like not even having to pass any tests to be a Doctor for 6 years.