I can't say as I have any real complaints. Start with the dollar issue. The Canadian dollar tanked in the mid 70's having been at or above the US dollar and dropped to below 70 cents US at times. What that meant was that US made goods were obviously more expensive but in real life the price differences "on the shelf" were never that astronomical. Since earlier in the year the Canadian dollar rebounded and now trades about par with the US dollar, sometimes a few cents lower, sometimes a few cents higher. My nephew also lives in Windsor and works for a Japanese company in Detroit so of course he benefitted greatly because he was paid in US dollars which was like a 30% bonus after conversion. Now with our dollar about the same again he "complains a little" but he still makes a big salary regardless. He's toyed with the idea of moving as well but in the end says no.
On the medical side I have absolutely zero complaints nor does anyone I have ever spoken to.
My eldest sister now 58 y.o was born with congenital heart problems (blue baby, hole in heart etc). On her birth back then she was immediately put into world renown Toronto Sick Kids hospital and operated on with follow ups once or twice a year all her life. As she aged she had better surgeries done. Evenutally needing a pacemaker etc etc etc but she's still here. She also has severe rheumatoid arthritis. Back in June she started weakening and we took her to the local hospital where she was admitted to the cardiac ward. After all the tests they deemed she'd be better at the large Toronto General so in the morning after breakfast she was air ambulanced from Sarnia here to Toronto. None of this and all the other problems that probably would have bankrupted many
Americans caused a dent in my parents. Everything is covered.
The big mistake though everyone assumes about the Canadian health care system is that it is run by the federal government. It isn't. The federal government oversees the Canada Health Act which states the rules each province must follow IF they want to receive any federal money for health care (hospitals, admin etc). If they don't follow the guidelines (and they don't have to) they won't receive any federal assistance. The crux of the Canada Health Act state that all Canadians are treated equally and CANNOT for any reason be denied health care no matter what province they happen to be in when they need it. Also KEY is that there can be NO FOR PROFIT hospitals etc. Each of the 11 provinces has their own individual health care plans and administer them independently. How each province gets the money to pay for a lot of it is strictly up to the province. In Alberta and British Columbia you pay a bi-monthly premium deducted from your pay or else you pay out of pocket with a check or cash. It costs about $100 for a single person a little more for a family of any size but not much more, maybe half as much again. Here in Ontario and other provinces it's somehow covered thru sales and provincial income taxes. There is no government person standing between you and your doctor or the hospital. The doctor deals with the hospital board. This also means that there is no incentive nor disincentive when it comes to providing a service because there is NO PROFIT or shareholders to please. It also removes a problem that is rampant in the US,,, providing costly but totally unnecessary procedures, MRI's etc just to boost the bottom line and sometimes put the patient at risk.
What some of the griping you do hear about are because in some locales, not all, there can be waits for ELECTIVE and non life-threatening surgeries like knee surgeries or cataract surgeries or an MRI etc. Remember that's not everywhere either. Two years ago when I was at my GP for a checkup he ordered an MRI for me and I had it the next morning. That is because of shortages of doctors in some areas and or budget restraints. Key to all this though is that emergency patients in any instance NEVER wait.
The US right wing are masters at deceiving Americans with tales of terrible Canadian medical services.
Another example, just this past spring our good friend Ann back in Calgary had a funny pain in her right arm while at work. People told her to go to emerg but she wouldn't. Later that evening at bingo it started feeling funny again and she brushed it off. About 11pm that night it happened again so instead of waking up her husband she got in her car and drove over to the emerg at the closest hospital. Told the girl at the desk what she felt like and she was immediately wisked into the cardiac unit and had her bypass done asap and was back at home in a few days. No charge.
My sisters going back to Toronto next month this time for a new replacement pacemaker and at the same time they're going to fix some leaking in one of her heart valves. I'm driving her there, she goes in on Tuesday and all being well she won't even be staying more than one night in the hospital. All we're paying for is the hotel rooms for me and my mother.
The other thing you hear is that we're taxed to death. You'd think from the sounds of the right wing anti-health care nuts we were living in squalor or like cold war russians paying for all this free stuff. Well perhaps many Americans who have never visited Canada might think that but I'm sure like you know there really isn't any difference. You yourself know that if I blindfolded you, drove you around then took the blindfold off and asked you were you in suburban Sarnia Ontario Canada or suburban Flint Michigan you really couldn't tell unless you saw a flag or mailbox could you. For all intents and purposes it looks exactly the same and the lifestyle etc are pretty much identical in every way.
No Canadian has ever gone bankrupt, been denied, or lost their home because they couldn't afford to go to the doctor or hospital.
I'll keep our system thanks.
