Curious "Canadian or U.K." question on health care?

[mrmikey]

....it seems that would be a function of the amount of facilities available.

Yup, we don't have enough of that and staff. Noting to read of an emergency room closing for a few days because they have no doctors available.......Mike

 

[fried1765]

Not a Canadian so I can稚 answer directly. However, while building my place in North Idaho I stayed in a local hotel.....A LOT. We saw several Canadians who came over the boarder to get care. If they could pay cash and didn稚 want to wait they would just come across and get it done.

The one that stands out the most was a couple in their 60-70s and the lady had a bad bunion or similar and could hardly walk. They were told it would take months in CA to get the required surgery. They didn稚 want to wait and feared that if she had to sit around for that long it would create other medical issues.
I was left with the impression you couldn稚 buy different levels of coverage (like insurance) and everyone was treated equally. However, it also seemed they had long waits for some procedures. I don稚 believe you can legally pay a doctor cash and have the procedure done on say an evening or weekend. It sounded like that would be a crime.
Again- no Canadian. I知 just relaying my hotel conversations with several folks just over the boarder in North Idaho.

You got it right!
I am an American, but spend 4 months each year in Nova Scotia.
Would you believe that each week, local newspapers publish the hours that hospital emergency rooms will be CLOSED?
Don't have a heart attack on Saturday/Sunday, an automobile accident, or dare use your chain saw.
Loo..ooo..ooong waits for all medical appointments/procedures.
Often MANY months! It is "measured health care".
It is basically free though.
When was it that you last received anything really good that was free?
US health care is excellent, and readily available.
If you want FREE,....move to Canada,.... but take a number,..... and wait..wait...wait, to see, what you MAY (or may not) get.

 

[RNeumann]

I don't see what the health care type has to do with the length of time until treatment; it seems that would be a function of the amount of facilities available. We are going to be faced with a shortage of health care providers in the US down the road.

They have quotas dictated by the government.....your insurer!

 

[Jstpssng]

They have quotas dictated by the government.....your insurer!

Do you know this for sure, or are you speculating?

 

[RNeumann]

Why Are Wait Times in Canada So Long? - MedRepublic Blog

A quote from the article:

“A global budgeting system: Hospitals in Canada are paid according to a budgeting system. The system does help to control overall cost, but incentivizes hospitals to turn away or postpone treatment for patients that are seen as costly. Other countries have some type of funding based on activity and productivity, which incentivizes hospitals to take on more patients even if they are high cost.”

 

[cqaigy2]

Why Are Wait Times in Canada So Long? - MedRepublic Blog

A quote from the article:

“A global budgeting system: Hospitals in Canada are paid according to a budgeting system. The system does help to control overall cost, but incentivizes hospitals to turn away or postpone treatment for patients that are seen as costly. Other countries have some type of funding based on activity and productivity, which incentivizes hospitals to take on more patients even if they are high cost.”

In my short stint working around medical billing centers, this description of the Canadian systems sounds like the private insurance companies in the US. Basically deny 3 times, and reduce what is covered.

 

[mrmikey]

You got it right!
I am an American, but spend 4 months each year in Nova Scotia.
Would you believe that each week, local newspapers publish the hours that hospital emergency rooms will be CLOSED?
Don't have a heart attack on Saturday/Sunday, an automobile accident, or dare use your chain saw.
Loo..ooo..ooong waits for all medical appointments/procedures.
Often MANY months! It is "measured health care".
It is basically free though.
When was it that you last received anything really good that was free?
US health care is excellent, and readily available.
If you want FREE,....move to Canada,.... but take a number,..... and wait..wait...wait, to see, what you MAY (or may not) get

You got it down right

 

[mikester]

Not a Canadian so I can稚 answer directly. However, while building my place in North Idaho I stayed in a local hotel.....A LOT. We saw several Canadians who came over the boarder to get care. If they could pay cash and didn稚 want to wait they would just come across and get it done.

The one that stands out the most was a couple in their 60-70s and the lady had a bad bunion or similar and could hardly walk. They were told it would take months in CA to get the required surgery. They didn稚 want to wait and feared that if she had to sit around for that long it would create other medical issues.
I was left with the impression you couldn稚 buy different levels of coverage (like insurance) and everyone was treated equally. However, it also seemed they had long waits for some procedures. I don稚 believe you can legally pay a doctor cash and have the procedure done on say an evening or weekend. It sounded like that would be a crime.
Again- no Canadian. I知 just relaying my hotel conversations with several folks just over the boarder in North Idaho.

The problem with Canadian health care is that your family doctor is the gatekeeper to accessing specialists and elective surgeries. Urgent care can be more forthcoming.

Buddy of mine was having a heart attack Sunday afternoon and didn't realize it. Wife took him to emerg. Same afternoon was sent by ambulance for an emergencey stent at a specialist hospital. Was released after a few days.

His bill? $0.00

I think it's more of a tragedy to not get health care or to go bankrupt getting treatment than it is to wait a few months to get elective bunion or cataract surgery.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

In my short stint working around medical billing centers, this description of the Canadian systems sounds like the private insurance companies in the US. Basically deny 3 times, and reduce what is covered.

Kinda like my service policy on my hot water heater. It went out, they couldn't get a repair man out for another three weeks. I'm supposed to do without hot water for three weeks, during Christmas? No way. Got someone else to do it; they can suck eggs from now on. Their policy is basically non existent.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Kinda like my service policy on my hot water heater. It went out, they couldn't get a repair man out for another three weeks. I'm supposed to do without hot water for three weeks, during Christmas? No way. Got someone else to do it; they can suck eggs from now on. Their policy is basically non existent.

I had the same experience trying to get an Electrolux dishwasher repaired under warranty. It was a couple months old. It became clear they had no intention of fixing my dishwasher, they just wanted to push me off until I went away.