nicely written.

Excellent- a firsthand experience is needed for all of us down in the U.S.A. I have wondered what the system is like from the inside- I hear people saying this or that about Canadian healthcare, people who have never been to Canada, never even talked to a Canadian. (I am proud to say I have FIVE good Canadian friends!) But you live with it and you let us know about it! That helps. Thanks for that!

I think you have had much better luck than most. I have family friends who live in Winnipeg and several years ago the mother had an eptopic pregnancy and waited in the hospital for 4 days before they could operate on her, because they had already met their quota of operations in that hopsital for that month!! There was a woman who was 3 weeks past her due date walking up and down the hall trying to cause labor because they would not induce her until the 1st of the month. These are two personal accounts that I witnessed.

 Luckily my family friends have enough money that if it was necessary she could have come to the US and paid out of pocket to have the necessary surgery. And I feel very fortunate to be able to afford good health insurance for myself as well as having no health problems in my past. Socialist healthcare is great for people who are poor, terrible for people who have money. Families who can easily afford health insurance now would be paying at least three times more for the same or worse health insurance (because it makes everyone equal regardless of income) allowing poor families to have "free" insurance.

Yes I agree that EVERYONE should have a right to health care, but I do not feel like I should have to pay for others to have insurance.

Because of greed, it is not just the poor who cannot afford heath insurance.  Premiums have gone up so much, that middle class cannot afford it either.  I feel for all those who have lost jobs, because if you are not in a group and have to buy it individually, you are going to pay more than your rent/house payment.  Anna Banana is already paying for others who have no insurance.  It is a mess.  I fear that those who are gaining so much with the system we have now, will corrupt whatever we may be able to put in place.

The OR table, the stretcher, the IV pole, the IV fluid, anaesthetic machine,  overhead lights , instruments, etc etc etc in every OR in Toronto were developed in the US or Switzerland or Germany ( with a few exceptions) and not in Canada or Sweden . The sad truth is that the world needs the cash-as-stimulus system that the sensible people ( including me ) decry.

Many Canadian politicians and executives go to the US fot treatment, the reverse is not the case. Sick pmemature babies from Edmonton and  similar sometimes are sent to the US because of a lack of incubators; and not to New York but to places like Great Falls that are smaller but can afford to buy extras.  Something between the US and the Canadian system is needed.

@TheSpaceBass@xanga - i'm canadian and i disagree with everything you said, your right that was all very harsh. you must be american, wow. very harsh indeed. you dont care about anyone other then yourself, just so you know its not like we are actually paying for others treatment because im not even paying for my own, the taxes that we pay, its nothing, compared to the day when you have cancer and your insurance company drops you because of some small flaw somewhere in your background. then your losing your cars, home and any savings. and all because you could give to shits about the person next to you... a very american way of thinking..

i love the canadian health care system, couldnt ask for it to be any better. my mom has had 2 brain operations and if we were living in the states, we would be broke with nothing left.
sure everything seems fine and dandy with buying health insurance in the states until that day when you need to use it, then all of a sudden your insurance company denies your claim because of some stupid flaw in your past. then what other option do you have? none!
my mom went in and out of the hospital paying nothing for her operations and treatment. cost to an american .. well over $500,000

Canada Rocks !!

Thanks for all these comments. As the author of the words above, it's very interesting to read what you all have said.

I was on a cruise out of Miami last year. One night at dinner, I sat next to an American couple who complained about the Katrina refugees. Apparently, they were clogging up the local hospital and other social services, making it harder for the local residents to get treatment and so forth. He opined that if they couldn't "take care of themselves," why should other people be expected to take care of them?

My Canadian spouse and I goggled at each other, food forgotten. I am proud that Canadians help each other to achieve the ideal of a minimum standard of living for all Canadians. It is not "every man for himself" up here. I cannot say that we succeed entirely, but the collective will is certainly there. And I can say that being supportive of my fellow citizens is not just something to be proud of -- it's in my own best interests, too. If we all pay into a collective healthcare system, we all benefit as individuals, too, anytime we are ill.

I recovered from a no-doubt expensive, grave illness when I was 25. I was not beggared for life. I have survived almost 20 years since then, years during which I have contributed tax dollars to the very system that saved me, in the sincere hope that I am helping to save others in the same dire straits. I hope that when my life is over, I'll have paid more into the system that I got out of it. But the most important thing is that other Canadians saved me from a life of penury, or more likely, an early death from lack of treatment that I could not afford.

I can never express my gratitude for that. I can only live, work, and contribute.

@xo__crazybeautiful@xanga - I agree with everything you're saying.  That girl was pretty harsh.  I have health insurance yet it barely covers the cost of anything.  My bills for physical therapy and getting a simple x-ray are costing me A LOT.  I have to pay $50 a month, and right now I'm having a hard time paying so it might get sent to a collections agency.  I even called my company to ask to work something out, like paying half.  But they said no matter what, it will get sent to collections.

I think it's the people who are more fortunate who say they don't want national health care.  Not having any health insurance, or horrible insurance, is pretty darn scary.  My cousin is thousands of dollars in debt from a car accident.  Things need to change.

@B1ANCACACA@xanga - yes, I agree. people with lots of money are entitled to get private insurance. even here in Canada if you have the money you can pay to see private doctors and have insurance of your own (this will cover dental and optical which the author mentioned is not covered here, and will give you things like private hospital rooms at no cost if you don't really need the isolation but want the luxury, as well as alternatives like chiropractors and psychologists). maybe the public insurance isn't perfect but I know my parents would have lost both cars and could never stop working without it (i have kidney problems and have had 5 surgeries). the real thing i wanted to reply to was the car accident. last year someone crashed into us on the freeway. both my mom and I required ambulances, which in turn had neck braces, loads of x-rays, pain IVs, etc. public insurance picked up that whole bill and even if it was proven we didn't NEED the ambulances the cost would have only been $45 CDN. thanks for your appreciation of the system though, sorry this was longer than intended

Ahhh.. if America were to do that they'd raise the taxes higher than they need to (so they can get some money out of it) and they'd make the health care system worse, somehow. America is selfish.

U.S sucks. Granted, I was born and live here but people stare at me when I admit that I believe Canada is one of the best countries in the world. It's safer, GAY MARRIAGE, and HEALTHCARE!

I remember my first contact when health care, I was in Japan and I came down with a terrible cold. I usually get them since I have a weak immune system, and normally, I stay home because we can't afford a doctor. Since I was in Japan, my host mom INSISTED I go, so I did...feel albeit guilty. I later learned that we didn't pay JACK, they only charged me for the medicine and it was only 300 YEN! (about three dollars)

U.S is one of the most hard-working countries, yet it's workers are treated the worst. *sigh*

- Kunoichi

@xo__crazybeautiful@xanga - agreed!  That is such a typical american way of thinking...