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Taxes
It would have been a fair quesiton whether asked on main street in the US or from someone from Canada who has what is close to socialized medicine.
It is not a "trick" quesiton. It is one asking if they feel their taxes are in proportion to the medical treatment they receive. I agree with the person who made the comment regarding the treatment in the UK which again has close to socialized medicine. I read the UK newspaper everyday and have some very basic idea of the problems they face. I don't submit that I have the answers but it is interesting to ask questions to try to get to an answer. No one should ever be reluctant to ask a question. |
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Good Questoin
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Canada Verses USA Health Care
We presently live in Alberta, we have selected the Villages as our retirement place of first choice, in fact we will there again in October. We have lived an worked in Canada and we have also worked and lived in the USA for several years.
Let me explain clearly want we pay in Alberta and what we paid in the USA for Health care. In Alberta for Prescription drugs. We have to purchase an insurance policy in order to be covered for meds. Our premiums for me and my wife are $160.00 per month. When we get a prescription filled we pay 20% of the prescription, the insurance company pays for the rest. However there can be restrictions as to what types of meds the insurance company will pay for. This insurance also covers most dental work. But there is a restriction by the insurance company, they will pay for posted fees. If the dentist charges more, you have to pay the difference. The above works very well if you have insurance coverage. Under our Provincial Health Care (which is doctor visits and hospital care), this is also our National Health care sytem. Alberta used to charge Alberta Health Care premiums up until Jan 1, 2009. Our premiums where about $500.00 per year, this fee varies from Province to Province. Somehow, somewhere Canadians feel that our Health Care system is free. But having been involved very deeply in the Political side of the Provincial Government at present about 50% of of our taxes goes towards Medicare. This simply means that if I pay $50,000 a year in taxes that 50% of my taxes which would be $25,000 goes to health care. Our second biggest share goes to Education. When we lived and worked in the USA , we had to purchase insurance for health care (doc visits and hosptal) and also insurance for prescription drugs. The company I worked for paid 50% of the premiums, I pay the other 50%. How does the tax system in Canada verses the USA differ form Canada to the USA?. You do not want to know.. In my case I pay way, way, way more in Canada then I did in the USA. In Canada we have other taxes that also go to the government, gas, smokes, GST, PST (provincial sales tax in all provinces except Alberta and the North (Yukon and NWT). There are advantages to any system in place. In Canada many of our doctors are moving to the USA, these are the best of the best moving away. Simply because they have more opportunity to make more money and they are more free to starting there own clinics. In Canadian major surgery has to be done in a hospital. The sytem in Canada in good for general visits. Many people are having problems finding a doctor. Because of free concept guess what most people do? If you need a specialist. If you are the lucky one to have a good doctor, then you maybe lucky to get good referal. If you have a heart attack, you will get fast tracked into a hospital. But if you have other problems and go to the emergency the line ups can be very long. The first thing we checked when we went to the Villages, was the health care facilities as we purchase insurance when we go out of country. The Villages has the most modern, most up to date clinics I have seen anywhere and we travel alot. Rows and rows of offices clearly marked, just made us feel so comfortable. You have the best of the best. I happen to travel and work in every province in Canada. All provinces are struggling with health care costs, not enough doctors, not enough hosptials and the refusal to let private clinics open. Many people simply will pay out of there own pocket for hip, knee replacements and do not say anything. They go the USA have this done. Many people will pay of there own MRI's because the wait can be very long in some cases. In my case I just paid for my own MRI. It was $500.00 but I could have waited the line up and it could have been free. I hope this will give some framework as to differences. But again there is no perfect system, there never will be a perfect system, other wise everyone would have that system. The story of health care will never go away as to has a good system. Maybe there is no perfect system. |
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Anecdotal evidence on medical care is not a great way to compare coverage. Bureaucrats from insurance companies are just as likely to deny procedures or deny Rx coverage as any government bureaucrat, It is a statistical fact that what Americans pay for health insurance, in toto, per capita is the highest in the Western World, but the overall quality is 16th. Doctors may be moving here for the money- it just proves the other side of the coin about how expensive health care is in the U.S.
Most medical care (maybe not for the elderly, which, let's face it, we are!) is for routine medical care- and the "socialized" versions of that seem to do quite well for less money. On the other hand, specialty care seems to be much better in the U.S., and skews health care costs upward as well. That specialty care is great- if you've got a company sponsored health plan or Medicare. Those of us who are self-employed and too young for Medicare might as well be living in a third world nation when it comes to our health care options. Someone earlier mentioned that we have the option to "shop around" for the best policy. Tell that to your employer and see how quickly you are laughed out of the office! |
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