As if living in the highest taxed province isn’t bad enough, maybe we are in the highest taxed province in one of the highest taxed countries. Our “free” healthcare that actually costs most of us more than if it were privatized because most of us would have insurance, well it SUCKS. I would rather pay money to get checked at Emerg than get ignored and made to wait 11 hours to get seen by someone. Take this healthcare and shove it! —Could Have Died
This article appears in Sep 1-7, 2011.
I Love our free healthcare but OMG!! It shouldn’t mean the doctors we see don’t have to be qualified! I am in complete belief that some of our fair city’s doctors get their degree from cereal boxes! A friend of mine took her little one into a clinic, the kid was having bladder troubles, and the doctor actually told her it was , and I quote ” all in the kids head.” He proceeded to play therapist until they left. The little girl continued to have troubles. Upon getting a second opinion it was found that she had a severe urinary tract infection. On another occasion, I myself was experiencing severe back pain. I went to the hospital, on the referal of a clinic dr who told me it may be my liver( which isn’t in your back, but I went nonetheless because he said the pain could be circulating) The hospital dr told me kidneys, I went through a cat scan and two ultrasounds. I waited for 11 hours at a time. He finally resolved it was a kidney stone that must have passed. THe pain continued. I worried that maybe it didn’t pass so called the head nurse to review my tests. She told me he left a query mark, which she then explained meant he didn’t actually know what was causing the pain…I finally ended up in Dartmouth general, still stressing that it was my kidneys. An elderly doctor saw me, took one look at my back and after pressing said it was my muscle. It had been inflamed all along. He was more than surprised to hear the conclusions of th other doctors. He said all they had to do was look at my back to see, also adding they should have checked my samples which were fine before putting me through the catscan. I think that if people have to wait awhile we should at least be able to have a QUALIFIED EDUCATED individual who actually knows his head from his ass to see us. Urrg!! Ps- Sorry for adding bitch to yours, didn’t realize I wrote a book of a rant:P
It’s true, doctors don’t give a shit. Why should they? It makes no difference to them in the long run. I get the impression that they’re just trying to get you out of there as soon as possible. There’s a shortage of doctors, too, many of us still have to go to clinics, like those without insurance in the states. I’ve called every doctor’s office in the city within a reasonable distance, and none of them are accepting new patients. I finally found a place and I haven’t been very satisfied with the service, they still can’t say what’s wrong with me.
I’ve said this on here before and I’ll say it again. I work in payroll and I look at American pay slips and Canadian payslips every day, and in many states they pay for their own shit and still come away with considerably more than we do, and it is cheaper to live there, and their sales tax isn’t as high, if they even have one.
What really burns me is that most Nova Scotians live check to check. So they take a percentage of your gross pay and then want to add 15% on everything you spend. So most of us are giving away a huge chunk of our pay to the gov’t and I don’t see awesome roads, schools, hospitals or behavior by public officials. Yeah, still moving.
But that’s the thing HK, why would a good doctor stay here knowing he can make more money somewhere else? Not only make more money but not have to pay as much of it in taxes and possibly live for cheaper?
Med school ain’t cheap, I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t spend that much time and money so I could live in Nova Scotia.
I’ve been having a similar experience, btw. Doctor says one thing, pharmacist says another, tests came back negative 3 times, and I’m still suffering. I don’t even want to go back to this guy. I dunno what to do.
Hey OB, you don’t like it, the US border is only about a 4 hour drive away. You should be able to get all sorts of medical treatment there, now that our dollar is worth more than theirs. Best of luck.
You think you’d rather have the U.S. system do you? $250 for a standard doctor’s office visit, $2,000 (minimum) for an emergency room visit, $10,000 to give birth in a hospital. Cost to have these things 80% covered by private insurance – $600 per month. Critical care after a car accident – hundreds of thousands. How does that grab you? Wanna lose your house and everything else you own to pay for cancer treatment? I didn’t think so.
250 for a doctors visit isnt bad and i wish we had a minimum of 2000 for an emergency room visit. Maybe people would stop going to emergency once a week whenever they have a cough or a headache. And yes they do do this, i have relatives that spend more time than i feel comfortable admitting in emergency.
I’m sure if you “could have died” I DOUBT you would’ve had an 11 hour wait.
Get fucked, OP.
(also, every knows healthcare isn’t ‘free’ here ffs).
Oh and in case you haven’t had any experience with american insurance companies, I’ll fill ya in on one lovely aspect:
co pays. AFTER you pay your deductable (which can be in the thousands, but that’s only IF you can actually get approved for insurance), you are responsible for co pays. Great, no big deal, right? Well, think about this — my best friend’s husband had back surgery in the states. He has an excellent insurance plan, but still had to shell out 8 grand for his co pay. Could YOU afford to shell out 8k for an unexpected surgery?
The reason why people in the US have such short wait times is because a good chunk of people can’t get insurance or can’t afford the co pays.
Look up any internet forum that has a topic on US health care and insurance and you’ll soon see the downside. I’d rather wait a month to have my gall bladder out than have to worry if my insurance company will cover it or not and worry about shelling out money for a co pay on that or a doc’s visit. Having to pay 20 bucks every time I need to go to the doc would add up for me and you too! Plus, until the health care provider actually received a cheque from the insurance company, there’s no 100% guarantee they’ll cover it. Last minute they could always come up with some loophole
11 hour waits are not civilized, which is what we would all like to think we are. I hope.
I’m guessing OB’s situation wasn’t so dire if they had to wait that long.
No one who “could have died” waits 11 hours, even in Nova Scotia.
bite your fucking tongue o.p., i see it happening very soon. because of some self entitled asshole wanting it, to be cool or to sound cool on their tax forms. if it happens, most people are fucked, big time.
So, you’d rather have the American health system would you? Until you’ve lived there and experienced it, then as the saying goes “the grass is always greener on the other side”.
Like PK stated, there are several kinds of “insurance” you can get. One involves copay and one that doesn’t involve copay. Not only that, but depending on how much your premiums are, then your copay could be more or less. Like car insurance deductibles for collision.
I’ll give you two scenarios. My original plan cost me:
$25 per doctor visit
$75 per urgent care visit
$125 per emergency room visit
These are what costs you just to see someone. On top of that, insurance only covers up to 80%. So on top of your deductible, you pay 20% of the cost of the procedure or whatever is being done to you.
Add to that, you pay $35 or more per pay cheque for coverage, depending on your status if you’re single, have kids or whatnot.
Now, 2nd scenario:
No copay, so and you pay everything out of pocket, up to max of $3500. Then everything on top of that, you pay the same 20% and insurance pays 80%. Your premiums are even higher, at around $45+ per pay cheque, going up to $200+ if you have a family.
On top of all that, they have stipulations. Such as you have to go to a doctor that is in their network or else you pay 100%. Things like that. As PK stated previous, the insurance companies can and will find loopholes to deny you coverage.
So, after all that, do you really want the private American system, where over 40,000,000 people have no health coverage? If you get injured or have cancer, do you want to lose your house and all your savings to get treatment, then only to be told by your insurance company that they’re no longer going to provide coverage because you’re too expensive to them?
If that doesn’t wake you up, here’s a scenario that a friend of mine recently went through. His wife gave birth to twins. She had some complications and had to stay in the hospital for like 50 days. He worked with me, so we had the same insurance. When all was said and done, he saw the hospital bills. They were over $200,000!!! He was billed about $12,000. Now, tell me, could you afford a $12,000 medical bill, on top of mortgage, and kids?
Why did you go to ER, OB? I was there recently for a break + dislocated shoulder and there were people waiting…before and after me…..that should not have gone to emergency, yet there they were. It pisses me off NO END.
There are multiple walk-in clinics to visit if you can’t get an appt with your doctor, and I also just found out that you can dial “811” to speak to a nurse if you’re hurt/sick/in pain and unsure where to go/what to do. Who knew???
So those with back pain, headaches, etc shouldn’t be in the ER! Go to your doctor or a clinic to get checked FIRST and if they feel you need x-rays, etc then they will send you for one. If not, they can treat you and prescribe pain meds if necessary.
The provincial gov’t/health department needs to do a serious public service campaign to inform people when to go to the ER and when not to…..not that that will stop everyone but it would help.
But kelifax, MY HANGNAIL IS A FUCKING EMERGENCY!!! (sarcasm)
811 – thanks foe the heads up. I’ll call next time I have a TIA. (non-sarcastic)
811 is *awesome.* I called them about an accidental insulin over dose (took the wrong type and tripled the dose) and they hooked me up with poison control who advised me what to do. None of it required visiting the ER, which is what I may have ended up doing otherwise (since I was shitting bricks!).
I agree that seeing a walk in clinic is the way to go, EXCEPT when x-rays may be needed and it’s after the x-ray department closes at the hospital (around 4pm or something). If you break something or sprain something that MIGHT be a break, or have pneumonia and need an x ray and you see a walk in clinic doc, you may have to wait until the next day to get meds or have the x ray done. If you go straight to the ER, they can send you for x rays after the general clinic closes.
If you DO go to a walk in clinic first (or your family doc’s office), and they determine you need to go to the ER, they can call ahead and tell them you’re coming and what your issue is, which can mean no triage is needed and they know what your deal is. Plus if it’s a doctor calling saying “my patient needs to be sent to the ER,” you may be taken more seriously if you don’t look sickly. When I was having my gallbladder attacks, my doc told me to come to her office immediately if I had one and my eyeballs and skin turned yellow and she would call ahead and arrange to have me admitted so I didn’t have to wait as long. And of course to head to the ER if that happens and her office is closed.
It’s all about being strategic and knowing where to go to get the fastest treatment, and 811 can certain be a good first step (and you usually get through pretty quickly). They’re all RNs and nurse practitioners who know their shit.
: The Scholar (Sept. 2, 6:42PM) – Hello Sweetness! I was entranced once again on hearing about your body – an object of almost as consuming interest for me as it clearly is for you – and I was going to ask if you would be revealing more and more, so to speak – as time went by. Do write back with your thoughts.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
TJ@ September 2, 2011: at 12:39 PM
Americans might get paid more and it might be cheaper to live there but maybe you didn’t notice than the US has a record inflation-adjusted deficit. In other words, taxes (and other prices in general) are too low and people are living beyond their means.
And, the US has one of the highest poverty rates (THE highest child poverty rate) in the developed/Western world and one of the most unequal distribution of wealth. There are as many, if not more, “average” Americans living cheque to cheque as there are in Canada (maybe even NS).
As for American style health care, I don’t think I’d want that. We may not have “free” health care, but we pay way less out of pocket than the average American does, and they have a two-tier system which fucks over basically anyone who isn’t middle-upper or upper class.
I just don’t like the insecurity you get with US-style healthcare.
Having to worry about whether or not my MRI or blood tests or surgeries or other procedures are going to be covered. I might have to wait a bit, but when it comes down to it, I’ve never had too much of a hold up when it really came down to it — I’ve always gotten essential treatment when necessary. And I like the fact that I don’t have to pay a co pay on medical appointments or procedures. Paying even 20 bucks for a regular office visit can be a lot for some people — especially people on fixed incomes (seniors, for example, who tend to need more care than the younger members of society).
I like the comfort I have in knowing that, if something unexpected happens and I need a lot of medical care, I’m not going to have to worry about how I’m going to pay for it. As someone who does have to take advantage of the health care industry more than average, that’s a huge comfort. Especially when I have to dish out quite a bit in co pays for prescriptions. That causes me enough worry, I don’t need anymore!
I hope there’s a follow up to this sad story, I can only imagine the $$ involved in settling this mess, the lawyers will be salivating over this misfortune.
The US isn’t the utopia they’d have you believe it is, watched Palin speak at a Tea Party rally in Iowa y’day – if her and Bachmann are the “new” US we’re all fucked. They are looking to repeal Obamacare as a first order of business.
Back to the link – care to guess the medical costs alone on this and still think NS healthcare is all that bad?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/…
11 hours….lol. Guess someone doesn’t have any connections in the health care field.
http://thedailywh.at/2011/09/04/this-is-al…
like the others said…….the walk in clinics are way better for anything that doesn’t need to be stitched, set, or removed.
ive been to the walkin 3x in the last 2 weeks for a medical issue cuz my gp was on holiday. called them up, made and appt, and was seen within 10 mins of my time.
i will say that they dont have great bedside manner, but if you suspect/know whats wrong with yourself and just need confirmation/referals they are great.
btw doctors are only human, and gps especially dont have time to constantly update themselves, so if you are placing your health entirely in their hands without doing any of your own research, then you are stupid.
make notes, do research and ask questions, if you think you need a test, ask them. if you don’t agree with their diagnosis, ask them for more information. don’t just assume they are always right and/or infallible. ask for copies of test results etc so you can check them out yourself.
obviously im only talking to the sane among us, so if you are a crazy hypochondriac then disregard everything i said.
You’ll never get the locals on board with this one OB, they are die-hard marxists who can’t fathom doing something for themselves – choice scares them and personal responsibility scares them even more. I too would much rather choose what health insurance I have and take care of it like any other bill I have. Never in this country dude, sorry. Get a TN1 if you’d rather be respected as an individual – in Canada you are merely part of the collective, for better or for worse.
And if you’ve read through these posts like I have you’ll realize people will write *anything* to scare you into thinking the Canadian health care system is somewhat superior.
It’s laughable. Because it isn’t.
People go bankrupt paying for their cancer drugs here too. And in most cases the7y just don’t get them in the first place so they die instead. But hey – it’s “free” LOL
I know my 95 year old grandfather thanks god everyday he is American – without his American citizenship he never would’ve been able to get his knee surgery done. In Canada, they’d never book a 95 year old in for surgery – at his age he is expendable by Monopolistic health care system standards.
Down in Florida however, he met his doctor, met the specialist, booked his surgery, had his surgery, and was into physio within two weeks.
And now he and my grandmother are still able to live on their own instead of moving into a nursing home to die.
That is what health care choice is about right there, in a microcosm. Who is it that you want making decisions about your body – you or the government? I’ll vote me, every single fucking time.
dartmouthy,
You don’t need to have American citizenship to have a medical procedure done in the US. All you need is $$$. Also, I highly doubt your grandfather’s knee surgery was absolutely life threatening and needed to be done asap.
Have you ever been in the situation in which you son/daughter/wife/family member was hospitalized and the doctors told you that certain tests/procedures should be done, but you hesitate because you had to ask how much it would cost? You’re then left deciding whether to pay for the treatment or whether your family member would live or not without the procedure being done. I’ll bet it hasn’t. But in the US, it happens everyday. Could you live with yourself, with the guilt hanging over you that you had a family member’s life had a dollar value to it?
It’s not about scaring people into believing that everything is perfect with the Canadian system. It’s more about giving people peace of mind and not having to worry whether they’ll be able to afford to see a doctor for any illnesses or injuries. I’ve never heard of anyone in Canada dying from a tooth infection because they couldn’t afford to see a doctor and pay for the antibiotics. I’d rather pay my higher income taxes and never have to worry about paying huge medical bills than to pay low income taxes and always have to worry about whether I can afford to have a broken ankle fixed or something like that.
Remember, there are over 40,000,000 uninsured Americans who don’t have access to medical care. Would you like to join their ranks? The difference between Canadians and Americans is Canadians ask “how will this affect us” , whereas Americans ask “how will this affect me”. Also, getting a TN1 Visa is not as easy as you’d imply. Not everyone falls under the list of professionals that qualify.
@ onlythetruth
My grandfathers knee surgery made the difference between being in an assistive living facility, or living on his own with my gradfather. At his age, that is as medically necessary as it gets.
But the fact is, that any medial surgery DOES have a dollar figure associated with it – just like any thing/product/service in our society does. Just because the actual cost is buried in numerous layers of government bureaucracy doesn’t make me feel any better about it.
If I had a relative (or a friend) who had cancer and had the option of buying drugs that could prolong their life – would I want them to be able to get them? Absolutely.
But guess what? Without a private drug plan that is $200 or more a month *in Canada with our free healthcare*, he wouldn’t be able to afford them. They would cost thousands of dollars a month. And my friend, who had this option presented to him six months ago – is now dead. And he couldn’t afford the drugs.
Dental procedures aren’t covered by medicare – tooth infections are the least of some people’s worries. You need one off those private health plans to get dental services unless you are under 12 in this country.
I have a funny feeling you work in a public sector union “only the truth”. The question being ofcourse – is whose truth.
“Also, I highly doubt your grandfather’s knee surgery was absolutely life threatening and needed to be done asap.”
And thank you for clarifying exactly what is wrong with our Canadian health care system.
WHO THE FUCK do you think you are to be passing judgement on whether my grandfathers surgery was medically necessary? It’s none of your business, seriously. It is between him and his doctor. Exactly why I am thankful he is there and not here. If he were here, he would be dead by now I am sure.
Here in Canada, we have to ask everyone else how they feel about a medical procedure, except for the patient. No wonder the republicans are so scared about Obamacare. The last thing they want is to be like Canada, and I can’t blame them.
Well then move the fuck to the states, dartmouthy. No one is keeping you here. If you think that their system is better, move. Simple. Problem solved. End of bitch.
stay Dartmouthy!!!! STAY!
we have maple syrup!
poutine!
proper donairs!
and our money is finally worth more!
just blame harper (like the rest of canada) for it’s shortcomings and let it go!
canadian and european beer
Since it isn’t the end of the bitch avast, I’m not going anywhere – It’s not about which one is better than the other – they both have benefits and problems – but when some starry eyed Canadian would-be-commie tells me Canadians are superior because of the “free health care” we are afforded, I can’t help but set the record straight.
When I’m older, I’ll move for sure – so that when I live to a nice ripe age I won’t have the commie’s at the hospital pushing me around and determining for me how long I’m allowed to live – like apparently you are ok with.
Thanks for your concern 🙂
PK… did you have to call 811 back in regards to the brick shitting?
dartmouthy,
Wrong again. I don’t work for any public sector union. I actually live in the US, so I know exactly what I’m talking about. You though, have only your grandfather’s experience to go with. You have no first hand experience on what goes on down here.
So you think that if you have the best insurance that you can just buy an unlimited amount of cancer drugs to keep you alive? Wrong again. Once those insurance companies deem you to be too expensive, they’ll cut you off. Or how about if you’re short in your payments by 2 cents? Then what are you left with? That’s right, you’re left with the full bill. How many people can afford that? Only the rich of course. And they make up how much of the population? They pay how much income tax?
http://www.cnbc.com/id/41277681/Private_Eq…
You sure sound like a lot of the typical hypocritical Republicans living down here. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Do you have no sympathy for your fellow human? What is wrong with everyone being entitled to basic health care when over 40,000,000 Americans don’t have any??? Those Republicans oppose it because it means a small increase in taxes and they wouldn’t want their filthy rich supporters paying any more taxes. They’d rather them paying less taxes and spend more on their military machine when they’re already 14 Trillion in debt and hurting. That logic makes perfect sense to me.
Healthcare shouldn’t be about how one can afford to be treated. Since university education is subsidized by every tax payer, then healthcare better well be available to everyone.
Oh, since you believe that having private medical, ala American style, is so much better than the system in Canada, then can you answer these questions?
1. Which country leads in obesity rates
2. Which country has higher infant mortality rates
3. Which country has a higher standard & quality of life
4. In which country do people have a longer life span
5. Has anyone you know in Canada ever been denied medical access or treatment because of insufficient funds or lack of payment
Yes, your grandfather’s knee surgery was not life threatening, so he will be placed in a queue. Let me see, heart attack victim, shooting victim, stabbing victim, head trauma victim, major burns victim, grandfather with a bum knee. Hmmm…I wonder which one of those should be treated first.
fuck you public sector unions, eat dirt
I just re-read your post from above only the truth… in response to your question “Now, tell me, could you afford a $12,000 medical bill, on top of mortgage, and kids?”…
If I weren’t paying more than 50% of my income in tax (like I am here) perhaps I’d have the financial wherewithal to be able to afford to save some money – and put my savings in a health savings account, like many of your hated Republican brethren are trying to institute as a way for people to save for catastrophic health problems.
You actually live in the US, so you think you know exactly what you are talking about – fair enough.
Yet you don’t live in Canada – and yet you think you can tell me exactly what the Canadian Health system is like – you know exactly what you are talking about on this side of the border too, right? LOL.
My grandparents are Americans living in Florida, my uncle aunt and cousins are living in New Jersey, My great aunt and Uncle are living in North Carolina… the list goes on. You are right, I haven’t had any personal encounters with either health care system in any serious way – on either side of the border – I’m a pretty healthy guy and do my best to stay that way.
In other words, I’m the perfect candidate for the Canadian health care system, because I pay out the ass for everyone else and their piss-poor treatment of their own bodies, and get no financial reprieve for my personal responsibility and healthy choices. Unlike what would happen to my premiums south of the border as a non-smoker who exercises etc.
Those 40 million you keep bringing up over and over and over again – are probably unemployed, and health care would be the least of their worries. They probably worry about food and rent and everything else – much like the *middle class* in this country who are being taxed out of existence to pay for our “free health care” and all the other trappings of a “modern compassionate socialist nation”.
“Yes, your grandfather’s knee surgery was not life threatening, so he will be placed in a queue. Let me see, heart attack victim, shooting victim, stabbing victim, head trauma victim, major burns victim, grandfather with a bum knee. Hmmm…I wonder which one of those should be treated first.”… I’m sure all those other cases were still treated first – fine – even still he still got his surgery in two weeks. Here he’d be waiting years in a never ending line-up – and more than likely, because he is old, he’d be sent to the bottom of the list for good.
I’m glad you feel comfortable having bureaucrats make your health care choices for you. I don’t and never will no matter how many stats you can type into a form on the coast.
dartmouthy,
Also, please stop referring to Canadians as Communists. If you knew what the definition of a Communist is, then you’d know the difference. Being a socially responsible country doesn’t mean that one can’t be an entrepreneur and become rich. It means that Canadians care for each other.
If the purely capitalistic system is so great, then tell us what happened on Wall St. You know, where those American banks were allowed to do pretty much whatever they wanted, with minimal government intervention. How many Billions did GM, Chrysler, and those banks receive from the US Government in terms of bailouts? Now how many Canadian banks received government bailouts? Yeah, so where did all those government bailouts come from? That’s right, taxpayer dollars!
I’m not referring to Canadians as communists smart ass – The only communists are those who would prefer the government decides who lives and dies.
I have lived the majority of my life in Canada, so I do know have first hand experience with the healthcare system there. Believe me, it is vastly superior to the system in the US.
You think a Health Savings Account (HSA) would be better than you just paying your taxes? Sure, in some ways it could, but most likely not. Open heart surgery costs in excess of $100,000. Or something more in common, like a birth of a child would cost you over $15,000. Do you think that your monthly contributions to an HSA (with a healthy 8% return) would cover that???? Now take into account other members of your family like your wife, and maybe another child. They will get sick throughout the year and you’ll use the funds from your HSA to cover that, but it will not cover anything major.
Even after 5 years, you’ve contributed. If one major incident happens, such as broken leg or MRI or something like that, it will drain your funds asap. What happens when you’re older and need more medical care. Do you think you can afford that?
Think about the long run and think about other people, not just yourself. I’d rather pay my taxes and be covered my entire life regardless of conditions and number of incidents than to bank on never having anything wrong with me, which will never happen. You will require medical attention as you age.
I have a kid. It’s my son who is my number one priority. You are saying it should be otherwise? LOL. Get over yourself please.
Oh, I forgot to mention that with an HSA, nothing is guaranteed. All it is is just an investment account used to fund your healthcare costs. They take your money and invest it, hoping for a return on that investment. Well, if those investments tank, then guess what, you’re screwed.
All your savings wiped out just like that. So would you still rather trust some banker to invest your money or would you rather pay your taxes and never have to worry about medical bills?
Move to the USA and pay for your doctor . Our system may be not the best system but need not to be a millionaire to use it