Rant

[lysystrata]

Next time someone shoots off about Canada's "amazing" health care system, I may smack them. My father-in-law has just finished an 8-hour stint in the emergency room after mutilating his finger with a table saw. Like, "You'll need to consult a plastic surgeon about that." kind of accident. 8 freakin' hours...and all for the low, low cost of 45% of

Comments

[flasher]

We're not better. Josh sawed off a good chunk of his thumb a year or two back and we spent almost seven hours in the emergency room. I do believe emergency rooms are mis-named everywhere.

[lysystrata]

I'm not saying health care down here is cheap- I'm just saying you actually get what you pay for. We have hefty insurance premiums but they still don't cost almost half our salary. And you can get an x-raydown here within half an hour (in Canada, unless it was having at a grotesque angle, it's usually at least a 2 day wait. Ideal medical here? Hell no, but much better than back home. You want ideal, look to Germany.

[flasher]

Our fairly expensive health care that cost as good chunk of our salary (don't think it doesn't just because it comes out of your employer's pocket before it hit yours) doesn't actually give us better care in an emergency but not an EMERGENCY situation.

Josh has gone to the doctor's maybe six times in the 13 years I've known him. Three of those were for poison ivy. Given what he and his company pay for health care, those were DAMN expensive appointments even before he tried to amputate a thumb.

I don't tend to think Canada's is better ... it just has a different set of problems. On the other hand, everyone gets treated. Speaking as someone who grew up dirt poor and has continuing and non-trival health issues because my parents couldn't afford doctors out of pocket, I have to think that trumps the delays. When you are at the bottom of the pole, even late care is better than no care.

[flasher]

By the way, I am sorry to hear about your father-in-law's injury and the stupid health care system screwing around with him. I wish hospitals were rewarded on efficiency and correctness instead of on a set pricing scheme.