Does national health care work in Canada?
90510
Our National Health Care system works, but it definitely needs serious upgrades to tackle issues like lengthy wait times and lack of General Practitioners.  It does bring a lot of personal relief to Canadians that we can go in to see Doctors and Dentists, and receive basic services, without incurring large personal costs.
1185225
Canada....our crime rate is lower...health care is better...(proven by 2005 Harvard (American) study), we are not hated around the world, we have a better social safety net.  I love Canada.  I don't hate our friends in the states....they are relatively the same...just some poor political angles.
368463
Well, the situation is... in the U.S. if you're rich, you can afford insurance and medical care... in Canada, everyone gets it but not on their schedule... so rich Canadians come here to get it on their schedule...\nSo... I look at the census... the median household income for America is approx. $40,000, so that's half of America making $40,000 or less a year. If your household is making $40,000, (probably  a two income household, with two people making on average $20,000 each)you probably can't afford even a small procedure to be performed and if you get a procedure, you'll be in debt for at least a couple of years (not to mention the costs of medication), and that's if you're insured. (Also according to the census, 32 percent of Americans don't have medical insurance).\nWhat I'm saying is, according to these numbers, over half of America clearly can not take advantage (without severe financial penalty) of the American healthcare system as it stands, and thats a sad state to be in. \nAnd it's getting worse as insurance goes up 5+ percent a year (for the past few years) and wages are barely rising at all. \nSo, if you're rich, you probably like it, if you're not... you probably don't.. but there are more poor pepole than rich, so hopefully we can get some changes.
1106934
I am Canadian - I booked an apointment with my dentist last week and will see her next Tuesday.  By the way, Dentists are not covered under Canadian Health Care - never have been, unless it is as a result of an accident, a workplace injury, you are on social assistance, or you have a disability.\n\nMy son was born premature - 2 1/2 months - I did not have to wait for care - he is a healthy and educated 20 year old - and I did not receive a bill for one cent even though i do not have an insurance policy.  My doctor told me that in the US, he was a "million dollar" baby.\n\nMy brother required knee replacement surgery - every step of that process, from pre-op apointments with the best specialists (of his choice I might add - no one tells us who to see) through home care to perform rehab after surgery was completed within 3 months of the first visit and did not cost us one penny - with or without insurance.\n\nI had Leukemia (chronic myleogenous) and chose to go to whatever doctor and hospital I wanted, free of charge, in whatever city in Ontario had the shortest wait time - all free of charge, including the cost of gas or airfare if necessary to get to the appointments.\n\nI haven't had to wait 2 months, let alone a year, at all - although it does happen and it is not good when it does.  I also don't have to fork out one single penny to be seen by the best heart/lung/cancer specialist in the country, they are accessible to everyone regardless of income.\n\nI have a step-sister in LA - she relies on Medicare - she says it is appalling in the US if you don't have private insurance -it's kind of hard to describe what is wrong to the clinic doctor, who didn't speak english, after a 7 hour clinic wait!  Even if you have insurance , you probably have an HMO - a group of non-professionals with little or no medical training who are deciding who you can see, what they will treat, and which hospital you can go to.\n\nYou're trying to tell me that is better??
155116
The main differences between the different health care systems is not whether services are available, but rather, how they are provided and paid for. In Britain, the National Health Service is free at the point of delivery and paid for by taxpayers through Government Spending.\n\nIn the US, payment for health care is charged at the point of delivery and paid for by a mix of private insurance companies, individuals, charitable organizations or not at all.\nhttp://www.hhs.gov/about/whatwedo.html/\nhttp://dll.umaine.edu/ble/U.S.%20HCweb.pdf\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States\n\n"Canada has one of the world's most fully socialized health care systems (with the exception of services noted below) while the United States is one of only two OECD countries (with Mexico) to not have some form of guaranteed health insurance for all citizens."\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_and_American_health_care_systems_compared\n\n"Canada is seen as a country with a publicly funded health care system, with the various levels of government paying about 70% of health care costs. Canada is unusual in that the government pays for almost 100% of hospital and physician care, but contributes very little in areas such as prescription drug costs and dental care."\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Canada\n\nHealth Canada\nhttp://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/index_e.html
1013149
yes,\nbut what you don't know is that the canadian hospitals are filled to the brink.  ambulances pick up injured people, and have to drive from hospital to hospital.  looking for a place to leave them.\n\nalso,\nin canada you pay about 80% of your earnings to the goverment.  so think about having only 20% of your earnings to live on.
777395
1961 was when all 10 provinces introduced Universal Health Care...it's freaking awesome to be a Canuck!
865690
yes, but in canada, not in the US\n\ncheers,\nkc
422444
A national heath care system like every other industrialized country in the world has.
36160
Are u kidding.  People in Canada hate their healthcare. Many Canadians come to the US for healthcare.  Soscialized medicine is NOT the answer.
173103
national health services are free. private clinics etc have their own tariffs so would have to check them individually
1140098
It's not communism, Canada has free health care as well. As I recall the Clintons tried to bring it into the States and it was voted down. We all pay enough taxes that healthcare should be free.
826690
Health care is handeld on a provicial basis.  In Ontario that is handled by The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
716775
Yes, it is possible to establish free healthcare in a nation.\n\nAlmost *every* other developed nation On Earth, that is, in Europe, on the Pacific Rim and on the North American continent, almost everyone who *can* afford to do so has done so.\n\nWe haven't.  Why?  Because the Rich Man Says So.  Not much else really....it's just the suits, and they own the media so they get to play an endless mindgame with us all, telling us that if *one more grandma* got her meds paid for it would just *bankrupt* the nation when poorer countries than ourselves *have* national healthcare that covers *everyone*.....\n\nReally.  And some clever folks will piss and moan about "socialism".  Look....socialism is actually *normal* for the rest of the developed world, ok?  It is.  Look at the UK, France, Austrailia.....even Canada, they all have national healthcare, all have it cheaper than we do, and none of them are bankrupt nations.\n\nThen look at Japan.  They definitely are pacifist, and socialist compared to us...and how do we know this? *America* wrote their constitution post-World War II, that's how!  Think about it.\n\nSocialism is normal for the rest of the world.  It isn't a dictatorship like communism, people still own their property, and the rich guys still get theirs, just not *rapaciously so* like here in the USA....\n\nSo yeah, it's *possible* to have free health care in the US....everyone else who can do it is in fact *doing it*.\n\nWill we?  Nope, because our Rich Men have made us all *retarded*.  Really, they call it "special", but when the cameras are turned off, we all know which meaning of "special" they really mean.....\n\nJust saying.  :)
562323
I thought there was a process for application similar to the one the US has. There are many Canadian doctors working in the US.
797632
Happily, I haven't. I live in Canada where we have this crazy government service called "health care."
957708
I enjoy provincial health care.  We still pay for prescriptions and stuff, but the visit to the doc is free. (well not free in the sense that we pay out the bum for taxes! lol)\n\nI like our warm summers and white Christmases (although I HATE snow)\n\nI like how we are viewed as "the nice guys".  Not entirely true, but in gerenal I suppose it is.\n\nI also love our "mosaic" society and our multi-culturism.\n\nAnd I love Canadian jokes.  They make me laugh =)