Canadian input please.

[Mooseknuckle]

I hate to beat a dead horse, but I'm in continuing discussion with folks around here on Health Care. As we work our way toward a single payer system (my opinion), proponents argue that taking the profit out is the only way to make healthcare affordable. Opponents say that we'll all die waiting suffering from heartattacks or cancer.

I know that hysterics and hyperbole are the order of the day, but I'd like some honest responses for things like:

1. Well Baby - infant check up

2. Common Illness - Colds, Flus etc.

3. Chronic (not that Chronic) Health Issues - Diabetes, Heart Issue, Kidney Issues

4. Emergency Care - Both walk in and trauma

5. Long Term Care/Treatments - Cancer, Physical Rehab, Alzheimer

6. Elective Medicine - Wiener Meds, Augmentations, Happy Pills, Hair Restoration, etc.

I hear horror stories, and never really anything good. Proponents here seem to think that medicine in Canada is wonderful. I'd just like to hear from someone that walked into a Doc-n-the-Box in Calgary or Ottawa or Whistler. Whats happens after you call rescue suffering from a heart attack. Can you really die waiting for your turn at life saving surgery. Or is it all BS.

No bashes, just answers.
Thanks

 

[buck50]

emergency medicine is very good up here, just like the in the states! walk-in for a broken arm to an emerg and you COULD be waiting for hours. all depends on how busy the emerg is(car accidents, heart attacks, etc). in smaller centers sometimes the wait at a hospital is less, but not always. getting in to see your family doc can take several days becasue they tend to be very busy with a lot of unnecessary(snivels and a little cough) people being in there! if it's life threatening or absolutely requires immediate attention, you will get in. now elective surgeries and procedures can be another story. torn acl or rotator cuff surgery can take several months just to get in to see the specialist, then several more months to actually get the surgery!! on the whole it works pretty good, but definitely room for improvement, especially on things that are considered "elective". just my $.03

 

[Snorider]

check out the Kennedy Health Bill. it pisses me off,

 

[triple]

A walk into an emergency room here takes at least a couple of hours unless you're bleeding, having chest pains or can't breath. THere are some doctor shortages in the rural areas of Northern BC but it's getting better. Our local University has a DR program and if you train them here, they just may stay. My kids have never had to wait to see a doctor. If you need health care, it's there. I'll take our system over the US one anyday.

 

[X-it]

I suppose you could die waiting for a spot, but this is not the norm. If you have a good doctor you get better care. On the whole there is nothing to complain about. Health Care cost in canada are around 5000 dollars per person per year. So anybody who thinks it is free better readjust their thinking. At the rate it is climbing per year i doubt it can be sustained for much longer, something has to give.

 

[carguy]

Buck50 states it well regarding the healthcare system in Alberta.

Overall we need more doctors, all other healthcare staff and more capacity here in Calgary. At any time we seem to be running inecess of 80% capacity and that is where waits begin. Beds full upstairs on units, in emerg thus making it impossible to move waiting room patients through.

Dealing with kids for basic stuff can be done at the family Doc level. Although alot of Docs have or are closing shop due to high overhead costs and low revenue (rates set by governemnt). These Docs move elsewhere or become Hospitalists attached to a hospital, a kind of Family Doc for the hospital but with zero overhead costs...these are provided by the facility these Docs work at. The Children's hospital here is very good, sometimes you wait for minor stuff but sick kids get seen and treated fast.

Colds & flus take up alot of time from those who have a true illness, not a transient virus. Here is the patient from whom causes waits...in emerg, in doctors offices, etc. Stay home, no magic pill here! Unless of course this affects young kids & elderly, they need supportive help.

Chronic issues & long term are good depending on the Doc and the will of the patient to be involved in their own well being. If you wait for someone else to make your decisions then you will wait awhile. BTW cardiac care here in Calgary especially emergency cardiac care is the best in Canada.

Elective stuff gets backed up due to medical staff shortages and lack of funding from the government. At present our former Premier Ralph Klien is saying that Alberta needs a public and private system (two-tiered healthcare) to make it work and that healthcare consumes about 40% of the provincial budget. I agree there is waste in the system but those in charge always cut at the front lines rather than removing the fat from the system...like voting themselves a 25% wage increase.

And if your life is in danger and you need surgery you will get it now or as soon as you are stable enough for surgery. You won't be put on the table if there is a greater chance of you dying or the post surgery benefit is less than the problems caused by the surgery.

 

[jonnyk]

After experiencing a broken tib/fib and dislocation there were some things made evident.

1. When serious injuries occur you're looked after pretty fast.
2. There's a mass shortage of everyone. Surgeons especially. The doc who pieced me back together was in the middle of a 16 hour shift when he got to me. Very diligent but overworked. Also when going in for follow up, 3 surgeons(N. Van) were booked solid 7-5 with follow up appointments every 10 minutes.
3. I think when it comes to health the debate over profit or non is very complicated. I tend to think you receive better service when someone's profiting, but I tend to find it awkward that a company wants to profit off your very ill fortune. At the same time if it were for profit there'd probably be a relief to everyone as the money would be there to pay surgeons, nurses and everyone else more without draining them out everyday.
4. I tend to think instead of full subsidized there should be a userpay system for the ER. Flus, colds, etc and minor illnesses that can be looked at by a general practitioner or heal themselves are swamping the place. Even $20 or some small amount might help deter people from abusing the system...

 

[X-it]

There is more funding at the larger centers at the expense of the small centers. This puts an undue strain on the people who have to travel to places like vancouver, calgary and toronto to get the care that was once provided in their communities. It cost a lot to stay in these large centers a 150 a night for a rooms plus your meals and transportation costs. And you do not even have to wait 2 hours to get blood work or 6 hour emergency wait times. Oh how unfair governments run things can be.

 

[Transporter]

No shortage of doctors that cant speak english.Most of them I think had someone make them up some credentials off the computer.

 

[xrated]

but say your 45 and your knee is shot from lots of play...how long will you limp around waiting for a TKA or even if your 60 and just wearing out?

I don't want to be waiting for any length of time when my joints start going. Is there a long wait for this type of stuff as well as the joint tears, acl and torn meniscus type stuff?

 

[Transporter]

Month or so to see a specialist sometimes sooner if you get in on someones canceled appointment.There is places to go if you have money and can get in sooner for mri and stuff like that.I dont think sore knees from playing to hard just happens so before it gets too painfull to handle make your appointment.

 

[Beels]

but say your 45 and your knee is shot from lots of play...how long will you limp around waiting for a TKA or even if your 60 and just wearing out?

I don't want to be waiting for any length of time when my joints start going. Is there a long wait for this type of stuff as well as the joint tears, acl and torn meniscus type stuff?

A close family friend (60 yrs old) just had a knee replacement here in Saskatchewan. He was on the list for just over a year.

Not acceptable IMO.

I honestly think we have to go to some sort of pay-per-use system here. Even trips to the family doctor. I only go when I absolutely have to, and if you could cut out the lonely little old ladies that go to the doctor for nothing more than a social visit, or the overbearing mother that hauls in little johnny everytime he farts sideways, it would take a lot of strain off the system. Just a small per visit fee. Make some of the dead weight think twice about going for nothing. If those types of visits could be cut down, we could get by with less GP's and spend more on specialists, surgeons and support staff.

 

[Mooseknuckle]

Thanks for all the input. Other than your prediliction for turbos and those bigazzed cow catchers, like on on H2's ride, I guess we have a lot in common.

One last clarification, if its 5 large to insure an average citizen - where does the dough for that come from. Is that taken out of the "general fund" of taxes, or are there special taxes that strictly fund health care. If you break your leg on the job, does the business pay for that through some kind of worker compensation (paid by employer) or no matter where you are hurt, its picked up by the government system?

 

[X-it]

44% of all taxes collected go towards regular health care. Workers compensation is an insurance plan for companies so they cannot be sued for any reason, the premiums paid into the plan are used for a kind of second tier health care. If you go through workers comp the health care is top notch, way better than reg health care, the best of the best, a lot of the rich business owners have figured this out and use it instead of going through regular health care. You need extended health care if you are hurt in another country....most company health care plans carry this.

 

[jonnyk]

X-it

you can still sue your employer if you get injured and collect on workers comp. The main reason for workers comp is from the employees standpoint of still receiving close to their regular paycheck when they're hurt on the job.

It doesn't make up for any negligence or wrong doing by the company, but easier for some of the smaller injuries (sprains, small breaks etc) that occur on job sites.

As for wait times a lot of it depends on the severity. To get some extra hardware taken out from ankle took a month to get me in, not too bad considering the degree of severity is pretty low.

 

[Transporter]

All the healthcare money is wasted by the people in charge.One example in Alberta is they changed the name of the healthcare region so they spent millions on little trinkets and pamphlets etc with the new name on them so employees would know they changed the name.

 

[X-it]

No you cannot sue you employer, you come under labor law. It is like a kangaroo court (arbitration) . You have the right to dispute the board (compensation). But you can't go to civil court. Although for some reason sexual assault falls out of this category.

 

[X-it]

Here is an example. I was installing a roof with unicem 6, i asked if it was safe to walk on i was told it was, i asked to see the manufactures mds sheet and was told i could be disciplined. It turned out it was not safe and i fell through the roof. The company faxed the supplier next day and asked if it was safe and the supplier faxed back saying it was safe, this gave the company leverage to sue for a roof, i got nothing but compo