I have lived in Canada for many years and also have lived in the USA. Somehow Canadians feel their medical system is free. Listen 45-50% of the Canadian Tax dollars go towards medical care. As a Canadian resident one third of my income goes towards taxes. Not including the extra taxes I pay for anything I buy.
Having worked for a national van line for several years, I would have to use a calculator to mention the number of doctors I have personaly moved from Canada to the USA. They are top of the line doc's that are involved in surgery and or specialists. Number one they have a difficlut time getting hospital rights for surgery because they have to use the hospital and hospital only. Personaly I required a special injection which had to be done in the hospital. I waited for 3 hours, the doc waited for 3 hours, just because the linen was not ready in the surgery room. I asked the doc how do you make any money. He said 3 hours is nothing my friend, I can make more money selling shoes.
One of our fine provinces Saskatchewan, has free medicine. I have several relatives and friends in this province. Their cupboards of full of medicine, they look like pharmacy. When asked what are they for, the answer was well they are free.
I have personally experienced being in an accident in which case my nerves where severerly damaged in the hip area from the injury. Yes everything was free. Cost me nothing, but I was bounced around from doctor to doctor, because most of the general practioners( doc's) like you coming back because it takes 2 minutes for them to give general information. But if you want a referral you will wait for 3 to 6 months like I did. Then the referral will give you another referral and you wait for another 3-6 months. But yes after 5 years in my case I was sent to a specialist that perhaps was very good, and yes they found the problem. I would have gladly paid $100,000 out of my own pocket to have had the problem solved 5 years earlier. The pain was unbearable. But yes after 5 years they found the problem.
We have very close friends and relatives that live in the USA, and yes they have to pay for premuims for insurance. Yes I too had to pay for premiums in the USA. But in the USA you have the best doctors, the best hospitals and the lastest technology in the world for proper modern up todate treatment. Not in 5 years but now.
Our tax rate in Canada is more than double the tax rate I paid for the same salary in the USA. So if my tax in Canada is $60,000 per year and 45 % goes to health care , my health care premuims in fact are $27,000 per year.
If you pay $20,000 personal tax in Canada and 45% goes towards towards health care you are actualy paying $9,000 in premuims. But some people think it is free. In fact most Canadians think it is free. Go figure! I would rather have paid the $2,000-$4,000 personal insurance premiums that I paid when living in the USA and get the best in Medicial.
I congratulate the Villages for having the most modern medical facilities. It just blows me away to see the rows and rows of medical buildings. All brand new, all with the lastest in medical equipment, and yes I don't mind paying for the premiums for insurance coverage in the USA. But I do know its the best medical available. And yes at the Villages for some very serious medical cases you are offer the new meds that available paid for by the insurance company. But if you asked the government to pay for the same, they will not do it. So do as some of friends of ours did, they died. But it was free.
|