Moving and Health Insurance

[thermophile 0]

don't expect any of that to change-the wait times that you give seem pretty close to what I observed working my way through undergrad in a hospital. direct comparisons of US and Canadian health care are really complex-there are areas where each country clearly outshines the other, the US is better at high-tech and cutting edge medicine but really sucks at basic preventative care. On the whole I've never seen an unbiased review that says one system is much better than the other as far as the care goes. However, the US spends 50% more per person on health care. And the increased cost per person is counting everyone, even the 15-20% of Americans who don't have insurance and therefore very rarely use the system. Most Americans (and I was in this group before I really studied the health care system) are clinging to our ineffective, expensive system because of very clever misinformation campaigns, mostly backed by insurance companies.

So welcome to the US, if you're lucky you'll end up with roughly the same level of care as you got in Canada but you get to pay more for it.

[Reba 2]

I don't know- I plan on paying for insurance down in the states(and anything I need that is not covered.)- but-----when around here in Canada, most people don't have a family Dr. and if you need a referral plan to wait 3-6 months. Routine things like immunizations and most dr's letters etc are now coming along with a fee. The hospitals are short staffed leaving outragous waiting times in the ER... I was just there for minor stiches and waited 5 hours... I would not mind paying for health care-- probably means you GET it. If you need specialized treatment you pay for it anyway... mental health, addiction facilities, councelling, the list goes on and on. I will have insurance and be happy to get what I can pay for - there are places here in Ontario where people are paying to belong to a "clinic" monthly to have the use of a MD, specialists and acess to care when they need it with no waits. The US health care system does not sound too bad to me!

that depends on where in the US you are really. Some cities will have long wait times in ERs or for specialist appointments, and the cost is absolutely phenomenal, even with insurance! And if you don't pay according to plan; say you go to ER with a broken leg, your insurance covers 50% if you're lucky, and the rest the hospital arranges a "payment" plan for you. If you're half a day late, expect a call from a collection agency. That 50% that you have to pay could be $1000 or more, depending on the hospital (if its a teaching hospital, holy cats, it could be 3 times that )

My husband has had cancer, and had to sell his house to pay the bills. Insurance does not cover everything, and runs out before most treatments are completed. And not just for cancer, but pretty much anything that requires long term care. Insurance will cover a maximum $ amount, and after that, its all out of pocket.

Now he's got rhumatoid arthritis and has to see his doctor on a monthly basis, and waits in the office for about 6 to 8 hours every fricken time and gods forbid if the doctor wants him to go for more x-rays or MRIs or whatever. Its such a pain in the ###.

Not to mention of course that when he had cancer, his oncologists here in North Carolina were recommending that he go see a specialist in Toronto! Which is insurance wouldn't have paid for of course. Luckily he went into remission and didn't have to do that. He didn't have another house to sell.

[Cassie 8]

Paying for health care in the US scared me so much with my pre-existing conditions that I told Jerry I wouldn't be able to move to the US if he didn't have insurance that would cover me. We are extremely fortunate in that he (and now myself) have had jobs that provided excellent health insurance -- there are many that do not.

My job in collections has exposed me to a wide variety of people that have gotten behind in their payments due to unexpected medical expenses, it's scary to see how quickly it pushes people into major debt. My sister in law had to be hospitalized for a month due to complications with her most recent pregnancy -- even with a good health insurance plan, it took them 2 years to finish paying their share of the hospital bills. I am not saying Canada's health care system is perfect -- far from it! -- but at least people aren't afraid to go to the doctor there because of the possible monetary cost.