You have universal Healthcare. We don't.
I knew an American would bring that up :laugh:
Sounds good for you guys down south where you have to pay for your own healthcare, but here's the reality:
I pay $100/mo for this "universal" healthcare, whatever that means, and when you really need to use it, you won't get service until you're in a critical condition.
Two examples:
1. My wife, pregnant at 7 months, gets an unbearable pain she's never experienced before. She goes to the local walk-in clinic to get checked out, and was told to go to the ER since it looks to be appendicitis.
Barely able to walk, she waits patiently in the waiting room for 5 HOURS until she's finally admitted.
Doctors poke around and suspects appendicitis, but orders an ultrasound to see. Ultrasound technician can't find anything, so doctor orders MRI to look further. Wife gets priority MRI the next day since she's pregnant, and appendicitis is confirmed. Emergency surgery by endoscope (by remote camera) is done, and doctors notice the appeddix was partially perforated. Complete perforation could lead to death.
So, although my wife was treated, it took a very long time, and could have cost her or our baby's life.
Needless to say, I sent my wife back home to Japan to have the baby.
Turned out, she needed a C-section due to large baby, and kept her admitted for 10 days, which is the standard there. (wife's friend had c-section here, and was discharged in 3 days)
All costs were covered over there since it only takes a month for the healthcare to take effect after enrolling.
2. My mother has been having odd symptoms of spotty hair loss, tender scalp, and loss of taste. Doctors can't find out what is wrong, and says it may have somthing to do with menopause.
My pharmacist brother in law who works at a hospital in Japan asked the doctors there what the symptoms might mean, and was told it might be a neurological disorder, so my mother should get an MRI or CT scan done to rule out any obvious diseases.
We go to our doctor, and was told the waiting list to get a scan is 1 YEAR.
So, my mother has to wait 1 year with fear of having some serious disease, not knowing if it could be treated if found soon. We all hear of people dying if it could have been found sooner. So much for preventative medicine.
I say fuck that, ask my brother in law if an MRI and other test could be done over there while my parents visit and see our newborn. I told him even if it means paying out of pocket for the tests.
He checked with the hospital, and told us that she could have it done anytime, and it will cost around $200. No problem, that's cheap for an examination and peace of mind.
I look forward to the day I retire and move over there. Can't even buy a house where I live. Average $1M for a fix-er-upper.
The reality is, a lot of Canadians go south of the border for medical services because it's so lacking here. So much for universal healthcare. I'd rather pay a bit more and get the service.
Anyways, sorry for the long off-topic rant.
I just had to vent and say something bad about living here, after what canada customs is doing to us.
