Hah! US medical coverage at its best!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Boy, if this doesn't hit the nail on the head, I don't know what does,

Two patients limp into two different medical clinics, with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking,

and appear to require a hip replacement.

The FIRST patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day, and has a time booked for

surgery the following week.

The SECOND sees his family doctor, after waiting 3 weeks for an appointment, then waits 8 weeks to see a

specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed for another week, and finally has his surgery

scheduled for a month from then.

Why the different treatment for the two patients?

The FIRST is a Golden Retriever.

The SECOND is a Senior Citizen.

Next time take me to the Vet!

[Krikit 1,164]

[BH45 0]

I have to agree with you Kathryn - take me to the vet toooo.

[DeadPoolX 9]

That sounds closer to Canadian medical coverage than American. I've never had to see a "family doctor" in order to get to a specialist or wait long periods of time for any checkup or procedure. If I want to see a specialist, I could do so the next day without hesitation and surgery could be performed in a couple of days if necessary.

Contrast that with my wife (the Canadian in the relationship), who has had difficultly finding physicians accepting new patients, has to see a general practitioner before being referred to a specialist (if she is at all) and then wait obscene amounts of time before anything gets done. Yeah, that sounds just wonderful to me.

[Marilyn. 340]

That sounds closer to Canadian medical coverage than American. I've never had to see a "family doctor" in order to get to a specialist or wait long periods of time for any checkup or procedure. If I want to see a specialist, I could do so the next day without hesitation and surgery could be performed in a couple of days if necessary.

Contrast that with my wife (the Canadian in the relationship), who has had difficultly finding physicians accepting new patients, has to see a general practitioner before being referred to a specialist (if she is at all) and then wait obscene amounts of time before anything gets done. Yeah, that sounds just wonderful to me.

I think it all depends on what kind of insurance you have....

[Jenn! 918]

That sounds closer to Canadian medical coverage than American. I've never had to see a "family doctor" in order to get to a specialist or wait long periods of time for any checkup or procedure. If I want to see a specialist, I could do so the next day without hesitation and surgery could be performed in a couple of days if necessary.

Sounds like you're lucky - a lot of people have HMO's.

[Flames9_RN 358]

back on the medical topic,lol I think it depends where one lives in the USA and canada when it comes to medical. My parents live in Saskatoon and thy get in to see the dr with no probs. My father has had 3 major heart operations, and no probs getting in.

Me in VA, with excellent cvoverage had to phone many dr offices to find one that was taking new clients. I just wanted a physical for RN program, im in good health, so one would think it would be easy, not really,lol As well I have some friends in the DC area and they are extremely well off, and she has thyroid problems (and others)and she has difficulty getting in to see the dr. So I think it really depends on where you live in the USA and canada when it comes to finding a DR.

[aravis227 1]

That sounds closer to Canadian medical coverage than American. I've never had to see a "family doctor" in order to get to a specialist or wait long periods of time for any checkup or procedure. If I want to see a specialist, I could do so the next day without hesitation and surgery could be performed in a couple of days if necessary.

Contrast that with my wife (the Canadian in the relationship), who has had difficultly finding physicians accepting new patients, has to see a general practitioner before being referred to a specialist (if she is at all) and then wait obscene amounts of time before anything gets done. Yeah, that sounds just wonderful to me.

I have to agree...I've been through many different insurance companies and HMOs in the US. Every doctor I've been involved with could get you in same day for a sick/emergency appointment, next day at the latest (usually only if you called in the afternoon...as long as you called in the morning you could get in same day). Specialists take a little bit longer, but in my experience they will usually make exceptions for emergencies. I'm sure this is somewhat related to location in the US and location in Canada...I don't think you can make a true generalization about ALL Canadian healthcare or ALL US healthcare.

[SonoranSongbird 3]

Depends how good your insurance is and how well served your community is. When I lived in Springfield, Illinois (and I was on the same insurance plan I'm on now---plus it sucked less then), I had a sinus infection. Really simple to treat, just needs a quick office visit with a prescription for antibiotics. No big deal, takes 15 minutes of the doctor's time, tops. I could not find any doctor in the entire city willing to take a new patient without first having a full on physical, and the waiting time for that was two to three months (eventually I went to a clinic where I could see the nurse practitioner with a day's advanced notice). I ended up going to Planned Parenthood for my gyneocologist even though I had insurance because I could get in there without a six-month wait.

Of course, if you do not have insurance---or you think you have insurance but it finds some loophole that allows it to deny coverage---you are going to be well and truly screwed.

[DeadPoolX 9]

That sounds closer to Canadian medical coverage than American. I've never had to see a "family doctor" in order to get to a specialist or wait long periods of time for any checkup or procedure. If I want to see a specialist, I could do so the next day without hesitation and surgery could be performed in a couple of days if necessary.

Contrast that with my wife (the Canadian in the relationship), who has had difficultly finding physicians accepting new patients, has to see a general practitioner before being referred to a specialist (if she is at all) and then wait obscene amounts of time before anything gets done. Yeah, that sounds just wonderful to me.

I have to agree...I've been through many different insurance companies and HMOs in the US. Every doctor I've been involved with could get you in same day for a sick/emergency appointment, next day at the latest (usually only if you called in the afternoon...as long as you called in the morning you could get in same day). Specialists take a little bit longer, but in my experience they will usually make exceptions for emergencies. I'm sure this is somewhat related to location in the US and location in Canada...I don't think you can make a true generalization about ALL Canadian healthcare or ALL US healthcare.

Excellent point!

There's never one single catch-all situation for everyone. Depending on a number of circumstances, I'm sure either American or Canadian healthcare would seem more beneficial.

[Emancipation 2]

I'm in CT and I have looked high and low for a stinking Dr. and found 1 in this whole flipping city that would take me- the rest are not taking patients. I have to wait until DEC 2nd for my 1st appointment with the guy!

but i'm not bitter or anything

[thetreble 19]

That sounds closer to Canadian medical coverage than American. I've never had to see a "family doctor" in order to get to a specialist or wait long periods of time for any checkup or procedure. If I want to see a specialist, I could do so the next day without hesitation and surgery could be performed in a couple of days if necessary.

Sounds like you're lucky - a lot of people have HMO's.

Yep!

I was offered a choice of an HMO at my new place of work or a state health plan that allows me to go to any doctor I please and also not have to get a referral from a family doctor to go see a specialist. I picked the latter because they were both the same price. (1.5% of my yearly salary )

However, every one I know that has an HMO (I had CIGNA prior to this) has to have a family doc and get a referral to see a specialist and it was not always right away but never too long. I also think, however, that I live close to a lot of poor, urban areas where people do not have any health care at all therefore my wait times are probably less than others where more people have health care. We have a lot of low cost or free clinics around where I live. A lot of people go to those. I actually had my immigration medical done at a low cost clinic.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Like Emancipation's experiences waiting, I have a family doctor - when I arrived I signed on with one at the practice where my husband was already a patient - and it took 3 months for my first appointment so I could renew my Canadian prescription for the US (on insulin only available through prescription -literally will die without it), then another 2 months further wait to see the endocrinologist specialist. Fortunately I had a 3 month supply with me. Now I am on a 3 month in advance schedule so can get in but even in serious illness I could not get an appointment faster than 3 days time - they said to come and wait in the clinic - generally a 5 to 6 hour wait - not something you can do when you are bed-ridden. This year I went to book my physical in February - and my doctor had no appointments before September! The Physician's Assistant had the earliest appointment the end of May, so I took that one. Emergency dental work for a shattered tooth? I had to wait 4 days for an EMERGENCY! Every doctor's appointment I have is a minimum of 2 to 3 hours wait in the waiting room (unless my appointment is the first one in the morning - then it is only a 45 minute wait). An emergency room visit at 11:30 pm for symptoms of a stroke when the right side of my body went numb? The first doctor I saw after waiting in Emergency all night was at 6:30 the following morning - who admitted me for a stroke, discovered it wasn't a stroke but discharged me with all the symptoms, unknown cause the following day (ruptured vertebral disc with nerve impingement-took a chiropractor to diagnose it).

Even when I lived in one of the most under-serviced medical regions of Canada I never had to wait more than two weeks to get my annual check-up; if I had an emergency I got in that day and I didn't have to wait 5 or 6 hours. The two times I went to Emergency with severe illnesses I was admitted and seen right away - within 5 minutes for the first one and 20 minutes for the second - both resulting in hospitalization between a week and 10 days.

I will take the Canadian medical system over the US medical system any day of the week. In the meantime, yeah, take me to the vet!

Edited August 19, 2008 by Kathryn41

[SpiritAlight 1]

I'm in CT and I have looked high and low for a stinking Dr. and found 1 in this whole flipping city that would take me- the rest are not taking patients. I have to wait until DEC 2nd for my 1st appointment with the guy!

but i'm not bitter or anything

Wow.

Crazy!

Sorry to hear of this E.

[Emancipation 2]

I'm in CT and I have looked high and low for a stinking Dr. and found 1 in this whole flipping city that would take me- the rest are not taking patients. I have to wait until DEC 2nd for my 1st appointment with the guy!

but i'm not bitter or anything

Wow.

Crazy!

Sorry to hear of this E.

Hubby (USC) says he's never heard of anything like this and thinks it's just New Haven.. but HALLOOOO this is home of Yale - home of a HUGE medical teaching hospital.. c'mon folks.. get some fresh blood in here to practice