Why do some Americans view Canada as the ideal model for health care?
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M$8 Answers
1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
(this is the only source I could find, anyone have a better, more updated list?)
First is France. Sentiment for anything French is pretty low here in the good ole US of A. Same with Italy- home of Catholics, olives and gangsters.
3,4,5,8 most US citizens can't find on a map. (really, #3 and #4 are countries?)
6 is a tourist destination most US residents don't know much about..
9 and 10, well didn't we fight those people in a war? (I know we didn't fight 9, but its close to Germany..)
Canada is close. People might actually KNOW some Canadians. US citizens might have actually gone there on vacation. Heck, I think there could actually be some Canadians here on Mahalo (going to catch it for that one)..
Its easy to relate to our neighbor to the north. Fact finding missions can be sent cheaply, people can easily ask their Canadian friends.
Michael Moore thought is good enough for his movie Sicko. and whether you approved of the movie of not, he did a pretty good job convincing people that Canada is better than the US for healthcare.. Heck, he convinced me about Cuba, but I'm not swimming there anytime soon...
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M$
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M$
I agree that profiting on basic care drives up medical costs but Switzerland allows profiting on supplemental care and their health care system is rated better than both Canada and the USA..
amen Rob!
That is one part of the arguement you don't hear that often.
The profit part of the U.S. system is really what I think Canadians are scared of.
Right now, I am confidant that my family doctor is making decisions based on what he feels is best for me. He doesn't have to push drugs that are endorsed by his partners, he doesn't have to worry about how much 3 or 4 tests are going to cost me, he doesn't have to think about anything other than making me better. I think that most of us Canucks (justified or not) are scared of loosing the trust that we have in the medical pro's that help us.
I know some Canadians who moved to the USA specifically because they hated the Canadian healthcare system. The mother of the lady i knew, could not get any care from Canada because she was 75 years old. They told her that she is to old to recieve treatment and that she wasnt worth the cost. Therefore that family moved to USA, got jobs, heathcare (through that job), paid for the procedure with insurance, and that lady is still alive 100% healthy. USA healthcare saved this ladies life.
Now if you dont have a job that covers heathcare, then of course Canadas model is ideal. But what if you do have a job that does provide healthcare, then USA model is more ideal. Personally, my father has had 5 hip surgeries and 4 back surgeries (because the hip surgeon messed up), but it was 95% covered by our health provider. This totaled 1.5 million dollars and Canadians model probably would have put my dad on the back burner because his hip surgery was not initially considered life or death. They would have told him to deal with the pain. Luckily , my family had health insurance and we lived in USA. Because of this he is healthy now.
Why change something that works? Granted, the USA model does not work for 100% of the people, but the canadian model does not work for 100% of the people. I run, i life weights, and i maintain a healthy lifestyle..... So basically because USA is obese and lazy, i have to pay for the individuals who are unhealthy, overweight, smoke, and maintain an unhealthy lifestyle. Call me selfish, but why should i have to pay for someone who does not take care of themseleves.... i dont think i should.
I do however think healthcare should be socialized for individuals who are full time students, or kids under the age of 18. Other than that, get a job and pay for healthcare like everyone else.
This is a touchy topic for me as im in school currently and am going into the healthfield in 3 years when i graduate, and i do want to see everyone healthy and i want everyone to receive good healthcare, but thats why i think 18 and under should be socialized because one your 18 you can fend for yourself and not free load.
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M$Our healthcare system is quite good. I do pay more taxes than I should, but smart Canadians know how to minimize these taxes.
The long wait times and other negative aspects of our system are dependent on where you live.
If you live in a heavily populated area, you will most likely wait for 3 (or so) hours to see a doctor in an ER. In contrast, I've been to my local ER 3 times in the past couple of years (kids), and have never waited more than an hour. Once, I just walked right in.
Some folks here will complain that it's hard to find a family / personal doctor. It can be tough, but we're starting to figure that out.
Specialized tests are hard to get. The wait for those is months. Sometimes, Canadians will go to the U.S. and pay for the test there to save time.
All-in-all I think that our system works pretty well. I've never filled out anything more than a basic contact form at a doctors office or hospital. Wherever I am just swipes my health card. When my kids were born, I paid an extra $14 to have a phone and tv in the room for the 5 days. When my wife broke her wrist, we were greeted with aspirin and and left with a temporary cast while an x-ray team met to review the results because the ER doc couldn't be absolutely sure.
I think that our healthcare system isn't rated higher on the lists not because of the system itself, but because of the people who use it. Our system isn't all that complicated but it can be difficult to navigate if you're either new to the country or otherwise don't understand.
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M$In Canada, you may find a government paid family doctor, wait 3 months to a year to see a specialist due to shortages-all gone to the uSA--and wait to get into a hospital due to bed shortages and waiting times-doctors have moved to the US---the only good thing is that you may be lucky and the government may allow you due to shortages here go to a US hospital to get the treatment you need in a reasonable time.
So we in Canada hope that the US never adopts universal health care or we will not have anywhere to go for specialized or urgent treatment.
Other countries-particularly some european and scandinavian countries are further ahead in this area.
self knowledge
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M$personal opinion
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M$
In Canada, the health care is socialized and the government takes care of the bills for everyone, and the paperwork. This is what I hear.
That is the advantage they are speaking of.
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M$
That's hardly an advantage. Half of my family lives in Canada, the other half lives in Britain. I also have several friends in Australia from when I went on vacation there. In all three of these places, they cannot stand socialized health care. Characterized by long lines and the abandonment of the elderly and terminally ill, the system is a mess. Hospitals in Britain resemble what ours looked like in the Vietnam War. Trust me, my mother gave birth to me in a British hospital.
I forgot about #7. Mention Spanish anythng to most US citizens and they think Mexico. It would be too confusing and most people couldn't relate..