well, i can only tell you about the experiences i have had. here goes.
in oct 2003 a blood clot destroyed my small intestine, nearly killing me. i had 3 major surgeries, and 2 minor ones. i was hospitalized for several months and had to undergo physical therapy, and visiting nurse for a while after that, as well as being fed a solution that was pumped into my chest, 2 bags/day at $1000 each. my medical expenses for that incident were close to a half million dollars. my insurance, which was paid by my employer, covered the entire thing except for my co-pay which was less than 2 grand. what kind of job pays such awesome health care?
was i a stockbroker or business manager? no. a guy making ductwork for 40k/year. (non-union) for the time i was not working i had to pay my own premiums. it was $30/month
here's the "B" side.
1) i moved to canada when i got married. my wife had breast cancer. her treatment was handled the way you might handle your order at mcdonald's drive thru window. when they removed her breast she was put in a recovery room for 2 hours. then they put her in a wheelchair and pushed her out into the lobby for me to take her home. i asked the nurse "what would have happened if she had no one to take her home and look after her?" the nurse replied "we would have called her a cab".
2) while riding a bicycle, i had a crash. i broke my ankle and my fibula. when i arrived at the hospital, before taking me off the gurney, they asked for my health card. i am not a landed immigrant. i have no health card. they refused to give me so much as an asprin and were going to refuse to treat me. i had to call my wife to come with 24 post dated checks so they could be sure they got their money before they would agree to give me the slightest consideration. when they finally got around to working on me, they not only botched the first surgery, but had to re-break it and do it again. when they did, they still never repaired the fibula, but left it broken in my leg. see the x-rays below and see for yourself. toronto east general is supposed to be their flagship hospital. if i had a choice i wouldn't let those butchers treat my dog.
and as for what i said about the lack of competition? i see it all the time here. we have 2 children. children get sick and need to go to the doctors. all the clinics here get patients by who lives in the area. there is no competition for business. as a result the doctors could care less how you get treated. most of the clinics are full and have too many patients. it took them over a year to diagnose my wife's coughing, and to properly treat it. we went to 4 different doctors until one of them haphazardly stumbled onto the cause/cure.
so maybe you see this wonderful health care in france or wherever, but here in the
3rd largest city on the north american continent, where there are more immigrants than any other city in the entire world, the health care isn't worth a flying fig at a rolling donut. that's my experience. i have, since coming to canada in 2006 talked to many people from all over the world. and many of them have experiences that mirror my own. i know several people, who are somewhat wealthy, that cross the border into the states to get diagnosis/treatment on their own dime before letting the butchers here go to work on them. like i said, that's my experiences on both sides of the fence.
i could tell more but this reply is already voluminous enough.
in the states you cannot be refused treatment. i have seen homeless people walk into the emergency rooms to be treated for headaches and diahreah. here in canadia, you could be dying, they don't give a darn. if you have no health card, and can't put up the $$ in advance. your sh*t outta luck.
Bookmarks