From what I understand Canada health care system is shit too, in that it takes forever to get surgery and shit like that. I hate that if you have an injury here in the states, they make you do PT and if you don’t get better then you get an MRI. If you can afford it, just pay for the MRI out of pocket. I did that a few years ago. And the crazy thing is, insurance shows them at around $3000 but I paid out of pocket and it was $775. I gave that to my doctor and they were able to see the injury that I would’ve otherwise walked around with until I was dead.
Does anybody actually have it right?
Great post.
To answer your question:
If you're unemployed, Canada's system is better than the USA's.
I would argue that the working poor are better off under Canada's system too.
But IMO, anyone middle class - possibly even lower middle class - and over are probably better off under the American healthcare system.
I am almost 100% certain that being in my income and health status, I would be better off with a private American plan.
Both models ranked similarly in the 2000 WHO global national healthcare rankings. I think Canada was #32 and the USA was #33.
Consider:
Toronto had three lithotripters last I checked. Chicago, a similar sized American city, had something like 400.
Canada provides care to people like me who could easily afford it on my own, and literally doesn't allow me to buy better care. This is especially aggravating when the only healthcare I wish to buy is preventative. But no. That's illegal here.
Basically, Canadian healthcare is great to stabilize you if you are dying [accidents, or late stage disease]. But if you just want to be healthy to try to prevent being in that spot, it's kind of hard to get appointments.
My doctor explicitly told me not to come back until age 40. That's when I was 32. In a way, that was nice to hear. But it's also because he genuinely didn't have the time to see me.
