Comments on: CANADIANS HATE CANADIAN HEALTH CARE

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:07:14 +0000

I would love to see someone prove that I pay more then any Canadian does in healthcare. I also get more of a choice in who I go to see and when I go for what I need. Not to pay ahead of time on something I will never ever use. Waste of my resources that could go to paying real bills that I DO use on a day to day basis.

By: larry

larry — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:07:27 +0000

In a perfect world we would never be sick or in need of medical assistance. I’m tired of people having something and complaining their butts off about it. Nothing will ever be perfect. Deal with it. Instead of trying to throw a whole different healthcare system at us…try to fix the old one.

By: ralph

ralph — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 05:08:14 +0000

whoa….where did you make up those statistics? 0% bankruptcies due to medical bills?? lies, all lies

By: Grace RN

Grace RN — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:28:52 +0000

The myth that anyone can get health care in the US…….”just show up in the ER”…belies the fact that without insurance (and even sometimes with insurance) you can be driven into bankruptcy if you have major surgery, an accident or develop cancer. The most vulnerable are the middle class unable to afford insurance. Hospitals WILL pursue you to collect until you are forced to sell your house, etc. I would be glad to wait to have my elective surgery, or a couple of hours to be seen if I thought everyone gets basic care. 60% of bankruptcies are caused by medical bills.
The only ones who get “free” care in the US are illegal immigrants and the homeless.

By: frustrated patient

frustrated patient — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:11:30 +0000

Agree that those in Canada who frequently most deal with the Canadian healthcare system hate it. Our healthcare system is terrible. Of course, healthier Canadians claim to love the system they have no idea how bad it is. When are they hospitalised? When do they see a doctor, if at all?

By: bill murray

bill murray — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:50:22 +0000

three years ago i was diagnosed with cancer in my small bowel, i was refered to a surgeon who said he could operate in 3 weeks which he did i was in semi private room and on my discharge all I had to pay was my telephone bill. november last year my wife collapsed and was admited to ER after a 2 hr wait she was given an MRI. Cat scan ,next day an X-ray and Spinal Tap , she was diagnosed as excesive water in the brain , after that she was placed in a semi private room and on her discharge we were billed for the televison and phone . tell this to the 40 million Americans who have no coverage . the NHS has been good to us and if we had to wait in ER for service it sure beats no service atall

By: spike

spike — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:35:44 +0000

Part of me wishes we would just pass whatever med mal reform wanted by those who think it’s the single most important issue in health care. Just to show them that they’re completely, utterly and totally wrong.

But then I think, what’s the gain in allowing cases of gross negligence to go unpunished.

Btw, if you read the piece over on the HealthBeat blog, you’d see that one thing that’s way better about Canada is that because the patient doesn’t pay very much for health care, even in the case of medical malpractice, the doctor doesn’t have to pay huge fines because the costs of treating the mistake for the life of the patient is very low. Yet another way our bloated health system costs doctors as much as it does patients.

By: Pat

Pat — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:30:18 +0000

agree with Dr Matt. Customer satisfaction does not mean good health care. Neither does technology or “access” to care. “Access” is a euphemism for assumed inequity. Many Americans who can afford health insurance elect not to purchase it. Ask any American how they like their HMO. Every American has access to care. ERs can’t turn anyone away regardless of their ability to pay. The additional cost is shifted to those with insurance.

In the meantime I order many more lab, radiology and diagnostic studies than necessary to avoid malpractice. That cost is also shifted, so we all wind up paying more than needed. Whats needed is overhaul of the civil tort law, not overhaul of the medical system.

By: drmatt

drmatt — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:08:35 +0000

AND FURTHERMORE, your usual misrepresentation of facts is ever present. The author said. “The percentage of Canadians who’d consider giving up their beloved system consistently languishes in the single digits.” then you quote a bunch of numbers about whether the system needs repairs or overhauling, very different from actually “giving up” thier system…………Apples to Oranges, nice try though.

By: drmatt

drmatt — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:02:58 +0000

Ideaology, your kidding David, ask your kids if they are “happy” with thier shots? if you enjoyed that “colonoscopy” and it made you “happy” you might need some therapy, happiness is no way to judge health care, effectiveness, access, cost. comon David you know better (PS, this is more like it)