dakota44

You can apply for a refund, but it might take a while.

ian-mstm

I lived in Ontario for most of my 52 years. The point here is that health care in Canada is not free, no matter how you try to skew the data. Somebody pays for it... and that somebody is the taxpayer. Yes, there are no out-of-pocket expenses but that doesn't make it free. The money comes from taxes - including taxes withheld by your employer. Health care, like education, is defined as a service under the GST and, like all other services, are funded through tax collection. Why do you think the government collects the GST? While indigent people may pay nothing ever for health care, the rest of us pay for them, and ourselves, through our taxes. One way or the other... taxpayers fund the system.

Anyway, we're well off topic now. Both the Canada and US tax systems are enough to make you want to pull out your hair... although, in my case, there's not much left to grab!

Ian

ian-mstm

Oh dear... I hadn't noticed that before!

Ian

dakota44

I already agreed that the system is funded by taxes, but you can be sure that I have gotten my moneys worth out of it and, in the event of a serious illness, you get far more health care than you paid for in taxes. You need not worry about medical bills sending you to the poor house in Ontario. The U.S. would be far better off to follow a similar path. Even with health insurance in the U.S. I would have gone broke with the medical care I have received here. The price for health insurance there is nuts, and the deductables and co-pays are ludicrous if you try to keep your premium costs down.

And I'm a bit lacking in the hair to pull department as well. lol

andrea874

…although if you have a serious illness up there, there’s a good chance you’ll die waiting for treatment in the “free” healthcare system.

olliewat

No kidding! My father in law saw his primary-care doctor about the possibility of needing a hip replacement in September. The soonest appointment he could get with an orthopedist for a follow up is JANUARY!!! Not that his situation is life or death, but the man can't walk for sobbing out loud!

I'd GLADLY take my paid health care with quick referrals over "free" health care with sloooooooooooooooooooooooooow referrals ANY DAY!

dakota44

I have no idea where you get that idea. The accountant at work suffered breast cancer. Received immediate treatment, surgery, chemo etc. No delay at all, and in 9 months she was back to work. I know many people in the same situation. I have never seen anyone suffer for lack of care here. I live in a town of 17,000 people. Guess what, we have a state of the art CT machine. I would be surprised if any town of 17,000 people in the U.S. can say the same. Our hospital is modern and well staffed and provides awesome treatment. The town down the road, 20,000 people, has the same. Is it true that there can be delays in seeing specialists? Yes. But if the situation is serious enough, you get seen. MRI's and CT's run 24 hours a day. You always hear complaints, but that happens everywhere. I have never waited more than a few weeks for an MRI etc. I am sure that different regions have different results. It still beats the "no health care" that 40,000,000 Americans have.
It amazes me that someone would think that this is some third world country with a backwater healthcare system. Couldn't be further from the truth.

dakota44

Of course, in the U.S. if you are in an HMO or managed plan, you are told what doctor to see. You are told what surgery you can have. You are told what tests can be performed at their expense. If you are in a plan that does not force such limitations, you are in the minority there. At least here, your health care does not depend on your ability to pay.

David L. Beem

"HondPopper",
    > Rete what is this sex tax? And how do I go about getting a refund?
As phrased it was "government sex taxes"...

Just means that the polititian says "You're getting screwed."...

David
[email protected]

Jammie

    > Too many words, I can't be arsed to read it.

Nice attitude

andrea874

I get that idea because I lived in Canada for my entire life, with the exception of the past four years. Just a few weeks ago my sister was telling me that four people in one night had miscarriages IN THE WAITING ROOM at an ER in her hospital. This stuff happens all the time. Doctors arent paid in the same way as they are in the US so they have less motivation to take new patients. I'm from a family where 4/5 of us are in the healthcare profession (I'm the only one thats not), and those 4/5 of us are also in Canada, although 2 of them are US citizens and had lived int he US for long periods of time years ago. I know its hard to admit that its not the best system that there is but I truly prefer the American health care system. There are, of course, pluses and minuses about both.

andrea874

It doesnt really depend on your ability to pay. Hospitals cant legally refuse treatment to any life threatening illness... Not to mention there are state and federally sponsered programs to help people with little or no income get health insurance. ITs not the poor people that are suffering, if anything its the lower middle class who, if they prioritized, could easily buy health insurance and be covered. Health insurance certainly isnt some far fetched idea that only the reach are able to attain here. I'm FAR from rich and my husband is self-employed and a student. We pay for our insurance out of our own pockets and we get by just fine, health problems and emergencies and all, and I still prefer paying for actual care than not paying for "possible" care. The system in Canada is a good idea, but practically it doesnt actually work. There are far too many people who take advantage of it for a free place to sleep and a free meal. Its like socialism, great in theory, however people are not nearly big enough to actually make it work.

dakota44

You would do well to look into the emergency room situation in the U.S. You seem to think it is somehow so much better. You would be wrong. I am sure you can find numerous cases of people dying in waiting rooms, among other horrible statistics.
Yes, doctors are paid differently here. Guess what, they still make good money. Doctors who work the ER here make $200 per hour between OHIP and hospital pay. I know this because we just went through the negotiations here last year. All the details were fully available. IF they did only that, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for a year, they would earn over $400,000 dollars. But they also have their practices, and they don't starve. In small towns it is a situation where special offers are made to doctors to have them locate there. Without that, yes, there could be a shortage of Doctors. But, We have two outpatient clinics here and en ER to pick up the slack. The system here works fine. Are there differences from one area to another? No doubt. But the system still works better than you want to think it does.
And you are right, there are pluses and minuses on both sides.

nickjollynick

Interestingly...

I went for my I-693 medical in early December. Got there on a Monday,
was asked if I had Tetanus and MMR records of immunization. I didn't.
Need them to complete physical, told to go get them and come back on
Thursday.

Called the County Health dept., earliest appointment was for sometime
in January, over a month wait for immunizations. Called around for
Doctor's office's and none were accepting new patients except one,
earliest appointment was sometime in late January. Finally found a
county health dept. two counties over that would take me the next day
(afetr explaining and begging that I needed them by Thursday) and they
charged me a HUGE premium for the RUSH service.

I could not have paid a HUGE premium to BUY faster service in Canada,
at any cost.

"Taxes" are higher state side, add up all the little "user fees"...

NJ

andrea874 wrote:
    > ...although if you have a serious illness up there, there's a good
    > chance you'll die waiting for treatment in the "free"
    > healthcare system.
    >
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Rete

GST and PST Government and Provincial Sex Taxes where by they f**k you but don't kiss you.