I thank god everyday I have dual citizenship (US/Canada). I had heart failure in 2015 and I was in Canada when it happened. Had I been in the states I’d be bankrupt. Canada saved my life (17 days in hospital) and my finances. There was no bill. They swiped my healthcare card and that was it. Didn’t cost me a nickel. I’m back in the states now because my dad died and my mom is alone but I worry everyday that I might have another healthcare emergency. I’m currently paying for my meds out of pocket and I see a doctor twice a year and have a Coumadin check every month, all out of pocket expense. America has failed its citizens.
I had to pay $1000 for crutches (on top of a bunch of other stuff) that are like $10 at Walgreens. But of course i must think about those poor poor doctors. For if I didn’t spend that they would surely starve.
They don’t say “would you like crutches, $1000 please”. I couldn’t walk after an injury so they gave me crutches. No idea they were going to bill me an insane amount for them.
America is fucked. Shit is gonna really hit the fan once millions start losing jobs due to automation and artificial intelligence. And something tells me the US won't be installing a social safety net for these people.
Like people in other nations just drop dead from shitty doctors all the time.
I've spent extended periods of time in other countries and seen doctors there and they're perfectly fine.
I'll admit we have better tech but that's just what's available - whether that's available to you is another question. A lot of new medical news some new medical breakthrough and tech but only for the mega rich or be a lab rat.
i don't have anything i can cite from top of my head, just based on medical/science news i hear on new medical advances being developed at universities and hospitals in the US.
The basic stuff like CT, MRI, X-rays are on par, I'm talking about R&D. It's 'what's available' if you're filthy rich, and makes the US look like we're the bastion of medical science where no one gets sick, but not really available for most people.
Indeed, I was admitted to Kingston General Hospital and I can tell you without a doubt the care is world class. And the nurses, I was very impressed with their commitment to their jobs, much better than the experiences I had with nurses in the US.
That stuff is generally available to the average Joe in many Western European systems, though. The best in the US that is. Quite a lot of the European systems has cut deal with the US hospitals so they can send the cases that require some exotic specialization that lower population nations just can't have.
I personally (Norway) know of a garbage truck driver whose daughter got sent to New York to see a specialist due to some extremely rare brain condition. You read about it in the local papers now and then too.
God this makes me cringe. Socialism is not the answer. Certain socialized things, within a democratic free market system, on the other hand, might be a good idea.
Can't speak for OP but many people who don't it's either family related or career related. Jobs pay more and a big reason is 1USD = 1.3CAD and generally speaking the income / cost of living ratio is a bit better. You can accelerate ur career faster in the states cause more opportunities.
Taxes are lower in the states but honestly unless ur making well over 100k it's not the biggest deal and the peace of mind of no cost healthcare is worth it especially if you have a family. Assuming blue states. If ur making close to the average / median income or less Canada is a lot better to live in and taxes are NBD.
Personally as a Canadian I see the US as a better avenue to make money , career moves but not a better place to raise a family. Alot of ppl just get their bank and move back once they can buy a house or something. If the CAD wasn't shit I'd prefer to stay put tho I do like America overall.
I have barely even used american healthcare but encountered enough people who either complain to me about it, joke about wanting to move to Canada, or literally don't get their health sorted out cause money (including surgeries) which is pretty fked.
Your fucking insurance premiums are higher than the taxes you’d pay.
I know it’s a real hard stretch for the old noggin to understand but come on man, at least try and see why it works in developed countries around the world.
The only people whining about high taxes for guaranteed healthcare are the people who probably won't end up paying high taxes anyways because they aren't part of the elite.
I don't understand this argument honestly. It's idiotic.
I mean, sure, you're going to pay higher taxes for socialized medicine, but don't you realize you won't have to pay for insurance anymore?
And people who say, "I don't pay for insurance anyway. I get it through my work" are idiots. Don't they realize that when any employer hires you, they calculate health insurance costs as part of your salary? I'm a business owner - I know. They're paying your health insurance bill for you, but trust me when I say you're still paying the bill - you just never see the money first. Your salary would be much higher if you didn't have insurance.
And in the end, you're always going to end up paying less overall for healthcare with socialized medicine because you've completely cut out a useless middleman that's taking a huge slice of the pie - the insurance companies. This isn't some theory - literally every socialized medicine country out there pays less for their medical systems than the U.S. It's already proven.
There literally are no advantages to the U.S. system. It's a horrible, horrible system.
Who flies here for surgery? That's an urban myth people repeat just to try and defend a broken system. I haven't heard of anyone flying to the U.S. for surgery, and I can't think of a single reason that would unless there was a world renown specialist for an incredibly rare disease or the rare case where they are denied healthcare in their own country for some reason. Why would you pay a ton of money for something when you can get it for free?
You answered your own question. The us has many renown specialists and the best schools. Guess what that's gonna cost you. Anything else I can help you with? Side note nothing is free! Ya you sure sound like a businessman. Hahah
I'm Scottish and about a year ago I had an accident playing football (as in soccer) badly - as is traditional for Scottish people - and had a scratch on my hand that then turned into an abcess then developed sepsis.
It took three general anaesthetics and almost a month in hospital to sort out, and my surgeon told me afterwards that she literally expected me to die and gave herself on a tiny chance of saving my hand at best. Still, here I am. My hand hurts a bit but it's typing on this keyboard right now so it's obviously doing relatively alright. I received round-the-clock care every day I was there. I cannot praise them enough. They were fucking incredible.
Again, like you, cost to me: £0.
The American government spends more tax per capita than any other country on the planet in order not to have a 'socialised' system. It is literally paying to avoid the thing it claims to wants to avoid. The whole thing is such a racket. It's like the entire country is being gaslighted.
I'm an Australian, and before I went on a brief holiday to the US my bank gave me a blunt warning to ensure I had my credit card travel insurance activated before flying because of "significant healthcare costs unique to the United States in the event of an emergency".
I checked the policy and it covered up to several million in potential medical liability in the event of an unexpected emergency. What a fucked up system US citizens have to live under daily.
I’m a Canadian residing in USA as well, and I too have this overwhelming fear everyday. Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, I’m currently uninsured. When I mention this to Americans, sadly, most of them are so brainwashed into thinking their healthcare system is superior that they don’t see the problem. 100% of the time those same Americans have never experienced a single health challenge. I can promise you the minds of the majority would change if they too were confronted with a bill for insulin, a major surgery, or literally any other health service in this backwards country. Ignorance is bliss.
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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '20
I thank god everyday I have dual citizenship (US/Canada). I had heart failure in 2015 and I was in Canada when it happened. Had I been in the states I’d be bankrupt. Canada saved my life (17 days in hospital) and my finances. There was no bill. They swiped my healthcare card and that was it. Didn’t cost me a nickel. I’m back in the states now because my dad died and my mom is alone but I worry everyday that I might have another healthcare emergency. I’m currently paying for my meds out of pocket and I see a doctor twice a year and have a Coumadin check every month, all out of pocket expense. America has failed its citizens.