Community | June 05, 2009 | 177 comments

VIDEO Canadian Healthcare Is Cracking - Multiple Months Waiting List Just To See A Doctor

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shanklinmike
John Stossel investigates Canadian Government Healthcare

Original Youtube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vNQFa_4S80



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177 comments // VIDEO Canadian Healthcare Is Cracking - Multiple Months Waiting List Just To See A Doctor

  • rockgoods
    • 0
      rockgoods  
    • Not only is so-called "universal health care" unconstitutional, it is undesirable. Free markets achieve much better results than government bureaucracy. Oppose the madness, and push for reform towards patient choice and private health care!

    • 2 years ago
  • jh64487
    • 0
      jh64487  
    • Mike, you're being dishonest again. We have some people on here claiming they've "seen" or "heard of" canadians flooding into american health clinics but we also have an actual canadian saying that's a bullshit statisitic so those are effectively negated.

      More importantly, you are only looking at one system, Canadas and not accounting for the fact that every other nation has a single payer or universal healthcare system and they ALL work just fine if properly set up and managed.

      Stop lying mike, it's wrong.

    • 2 years ago
  • div
  • montesooma
  • div
    • 0
      div  
    • jh64487:

      montesooma, several canadians on this thread alone have said it's not as bad as this article makes it out to be for the majority of canadians.

      and one actual canadian in support of is better than none against. and possibly fictitious people in an article don't count.

    • 2 years ago
  • neocongo
    • 0
      neocongo  
    • The insurance industry is scared to death of a public option, because they know it will reveal just how broken and corrupt the insurance industry is.

    • 2 years ago
  • kennymotown
    • 0
      kennymotown  
    • The facts always get in the way of the right wing, when it is so obvious that our medical cost are twice as much per person and we get half the results compared to the other socialized medical country's around the world. You dumb asses we are ranked 37th in the world in health care, what don't you understand. Oh I forgot most of you deniers work for insurance company's. If congress gives us a bogus health care reform bill this year you better wear a flack jacket to your insurance job cause millions of good Americans are going to get you mafia mother f**kers.

    • 2 years ago
  • shanklinmike
  • shanklinmike
    • 0
      shanklinmike  
    • No, Politics is the survival of the fittest, and your government 'guarantees' have done much more harm than good. Regardless, 'safety nets' could be made at a much more efficient state level, why monopolize it to the Federal government?!? The same people who run the Pentagon! We can't even follow the flow of money and you want to give this war machine more revenue?!? How small scope sighted. The real fantasy is living in some land where bureaucrats, oligopolizers, and politicians cater to the people hand and foot. That's not what government is about....it's about making people more money and power.....along with fooling many to get what they want. If you believe that a Federal government monopoly can be long-run sustainable without oversubsidization is the biggest dream.....I have heard your argument a thousands times...I use to be a democrat 10 years ago, then I woke up. We are so far from liberty economics its unbelievable...and the mainstream media keeps pumping out the same old stories, ignoring the government policies that got us here.

    • 2 years ago
  • rockgoods
  • rockgoods
    • 0
      rockgoods  
    • There isn't a single government agency or division that runs efficiently; do we really want an organization that developed the U.S. Tax Code handling something as complex as health care? "Free" health care isn't really free since we must pay for it with taxes expenses for health care would have to be paid for with higher taxes or spending cuts in other areas such as defense, education, etc. Government-mandated procedures will likely reduce doctor flexibility and lead to poor patient care. Healthy people who take care of themselves will have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, are obese, etc.A long, painful transition will have to take place involving lost insurance industry jobs, business closures, and new patient record creation. Loss of private practice options and possible reduced pay may dissuade many would-be doctors from pursuing the profession.Malpractice lawsuit costs, which are already sky-high, could further explode since universal care may expose the government to legal liability, and the possibility to sue someone with deep pockets usually invites more lawsuits. Government is more likely to pass additional restrictions or increase taxes on smoking, fast food, etc., leading to a further loss of personal freedoms. Patient confidentiality is likely to be compromised since centralized health information will likely be maintained by the government. Like social security, any government benefit eventually is taken as a "right" by the public, meaning that it's politically near impossible to remove or curtail it later on when costs get out of control.

      I am so sick of Liberals I can puke. They say they love America. Well let me ask you this...if you love it so much why do you insist on changing it?

    • 2 years ago
  • keviar
  • div
    • 0
      div  
    • rockgoods:

      hahahahahahaha
      if you love it so much why do you insist on changing it?

      well... if you love your children but they do drugs, why should you stop them from doing drugs? you love them, don't you?

    • 2 years ago
  • rockgoods
  • div
    • 0
      div  
    • rockgoods:

      I'm not trying to be facetious but in what way was America born great?

      Do you prefer that women not vote, non-whites be subservient... what precisely are we talking about here, because this is not about turning America into something else; this is about improving what already exists.

      You cannot live in a house without upkeep over time. Sometimes you need renovations and sometimes you just need to dust. You can't keep your house looking like new if you do nothing.

    • 2 years ago
  • rockgoods
    • 0
      rockgoods  
    • rockgoods:

      Ha ha. Is there a go to handbook for the left to bring up women not being able vote, non-whites be subservient? We all know these things where bad. Like I said fine tuning.

      I believe that the bigger government gets and the more powerful the state becomes, the greater the threat to individual liberty and the greater the likelihood that evil will ensue.I believe in American exceptionalism, meaning that (a) America has done more than any international organization or institution, and more than any other country, to improve this world; and (b) that American values form the finest value system any society has ever devised and lived by.I believe that the United States of America, from its inception, has been based on the Judeo-Christian value system, not secular Enlightenment values alone, and therefore the secularization of American society will lead to the collapse of America as a great country.I believe that the American military has done more to preserve and foster goodness and liberty on Earth than all the artists and professors in America put together.I believe that lowering standards to admit minorities mocks the real achievements of members of those minorities.I believe that the trial lawyers associations and teachers unions, the greatest donors to the Democratic Party, have done great harm to American life -- far more than, let us say, oil companies and pharmaceutical companies, the targets of liberal opprobrium.I believe that school vouchers are more effective than increased spending on public schools in enabling many poorer Americans to give their children better educations. I believe that while there are racists in America, America is no longer a racist society, and that blaming disproportionate rates of black violence and out-of-wedlock births on white racism is a lie and the greatest single impediment to African-American progress. I believe the leftist takeover of the liberal arts departments in nearly every American university has been an intellectual and moral calamity.I believe that, generally speaking, Western Europe provides social and moral models to be avoided, not emulated.Finally, I believe that there are millions of Americans who share most of these beliefs who still call themselves "liberal" or "progressive" and who therefore vote Democrat. They do so because they still identify liberalism with pre-1970 liberalism or because they are emotionally attached to the word "liberal."

      I share that emotion. But one should vote based on values, not emotions.

    • 2 years ago
  • div
  • montesooma
    • 0
      montesooma  
    • rockgoods:

      You cannot live in a house without upkeep over time. Sometimes you need renovations and sometimes you just need to dust. You can't keep your house looking like new if you do nothing.

      Yes but it would be foolish to bring in someone to tear your house down after you have been working so hard to fix it up. Especially someone who says he only wants to fix your house up, but that you know has been overheard saying that he hates your house and wishes to see it demolished so that he can build a new house to his liking and move himself and all his friends into it.

    • 2 years ago
  • kennymotown
    • 0
      kennymotown  
    • John Stosel, no wonder this is his idea of a report. And you should see the line here in America 50 million deep without health insurance. And 20,000 Americans die every year simply because they couldn't afford to get a check up or see a doctor for something that turned serious. You right wing mouth pieces just don't get it or you work for the insurers. SHAME on you every year 6 times as many people that died in 911 die from lack of health care. Up yours turds.

    • 2 years ago
  • Marilynn_Murray
  • shanklinmike
  • Marilynn_Murray
  • TopScruffy
    • 0
      TopScruffy  
    • I had to wait 2 months to see my doc in the U.S., then pay for it. This by no means shows a failure of the Canadian system. Especially compared to U.S. health care which is already a display of failure.

    • 2 years ago
  • Tikbalang
    • 0
      Tikbalang  
    • Total bullshit article. How about some facts?
      60% of the bankruptcies in America are due to healthcare bills. And these are people WITH INSURANCE.
      The American healthcare system is a crime against humanity. Every year thousands of Americans WITH INSURANCE die or go bankrupt due to delayed or denied treatment.
      Have you ever heard of one person in Canada or France or any other country with universal healthcare crying out they wish they could have a system like America?
      This isn't about socialism. This isn't about the government running the hospitals. The hospitals already run fine. This is about insurance companies KILLING people every year in order to make a profit.
      Universal coverage in America is the only solution. Why are people so stupid not to see that and demand it?
      The policeman doesn't ask for a copay when you call 911. The fireman doesn't ask what kind of insurance you have. Universal coverage is the price you pay to live in a civilized nation. Just take the money out of our taxes. Pay the hospitals, doctors, etc. Then we can see any doctor we like, get immediate treatment, and walk away without being in debt for life or dying trying.

    • 2 years ago
  • montesooma
  • shanklinmike
    • 0
      shanklinmike  
    • Again.....quit comparing today's central economic planned healthcare system to liberty economics. Today has more to do with interventionism and protectionism than it does freedom. When you think of today, think of government advantaged, fascist-tinged economic system that has slowly been taking over for 60 years.

    • 2 years ago
  • unimatrix0
    • 0
      unimatrix0  
    • shanklinmike:

      Liberty economics is social Darwinism - survival of the fittest, it is neither civilized nor conducive to social cohesion. It is a twisted survivalist fantasy.

      We must have a safety net where the basics of life are guaranteed by the state, including health care.

    • 2 years ago
  • keviar
  • libberator
    • 0
      libberator  
    • This is really bullshit,
      I live in the U.S. and since I was a child I've had to wait a few months just to see a doctor, it's not like our healthcare system is the model of efficiency.

      And honestly if the price to provide all American citizens with quality health coverage is a couple of middle and upper class white people whining about not being able to get some bullshit medical procedure right away because for once medical resources are being distributed equally and fairly, then so be it. It seems like a fair price to me

    • 2 years ago
  • i_dr
    • 0
      i_dr  
    • You've got to be freaking kidding me right? Let me tell you something about socialist health care here in Canada. Yes there are wait times for certain things, but definitely NOT to see a general practice doctor. If you don't have a family doctor, you can go to any walk-in clinic and be seen right away by the doctors there. Btw, "walk-in" clinics in Canada are NOT the same as those in the U.S. I am from the U.S., where I had 2 surgeries, and while yes, I was treated immediately for my non life-threatening surgeries, I was stuck with a $3,000+ bill that my insurance didn't cover. Here, I couldn't believe it when I walked into a specialist's office and walked out with NO BILL! Now, I am pregnant and NO you don't have to wait weeks to see a doctor about your pregnancy. You can see a doctor right away at a walk in clinic. Typically, you only see an Obstetrician if you have a high risk pregnancy or special condition that a General Practitioner cannot deal with. So going to a walk-in clinic for prenatal care is no different than seeing the doctor that will ultimately deliver your baby. And while I did not see the doctor I selected for my pre-natal care right away, I was always able to walk in to the clinic if I had any questions or concerns, for free, without an appointment. The only thing I have heard negative is wait times for being scheduled for diagnostic screenings, mris, ct scans etc. However, there are private clinics emerging for those that can afford it and would rather be seen immediately. A good compromise in my opinion.

    • 2 years ago
  • neonbunny
  • RaceBannon
    • 0
      RaceBannon  
    • I had serious asthma as child in which 2 times I nearly died in the icu. The first time was in the states and they billed my parents something around $10,000 for week in the care center + ambulance + meds, hell i think even gas money was in the bill. This was after our insurance (i think blue cross) paid $2,000. My family moved to france in the late 90's and I had a second asthma attack and was in the icu for little over a week and my cost was = $0. The doctor even came to my parents house to follow up on me for an out patient checkup (I f-ing miss it).
      Last year I had jaw injury and the surgeon was trying to have me take out a loan for $15,000 for my procedure. So my father told me to go to france (i have dual citizenship) and for my $600 roundtrip ticket I got to stay with my grandparents in Marseille right on the mediterranean for a month and have my procedure done for... wait for it... FREE! No cost, no loans, no bills, nothing, just because my folks, and I have paid into the system through taxes.

      I rest my case.

    • 2 years ago
  • trut
  • shanklinmike
    • 0
      shanklinmike  
    • We need to get rid of the fascist-tinged insurance companies that have used government to trap us into their programs AND get rid of most Federal government services from the last 40 years that aimed at "lowering costs" since they obviously have not done that. 'Ohthat', you are right about one thing, we DO need a third option. The interventionists have given us two options.....single-payer/government collected programs and oligopolized insurance companies. The third option is to release the people from this economic slavery trap and to enable competition and more privacy between doctors and patients. The exact opposite will happen with more government.....

    • 2 years ago
  • asherp
  • Bldng4Jstc
    • 0
      Bldng4Jstc  
    • The healthcare in America is great for people who can afford it and worthless to people who cannot.

      I have an infection that has gotten so severe that hopefully $700 will fix the problem. Now how can a poor person be able to afford that? I only have the money becauase I'm in college and have been living frugally and saving up my extra scholarship money.

      So is rich America willing to give up some quality for the sake of the community? Nope

    • 2 years ago
  • diabolical44
    • 0
      diabolical44  
    • this is fucking corporate propaganda and bullshit. I don't see Canadians or Europeans running to us for healthcare. In fact, I see the opposite. Americans running to their countries for care.

      That's why the WHO ranks us 37th on world healthcare system rankings. below countries like Saudia Arabia, Monaco, Chile, Colombia, Dominica, and Costa Rica.

      take a look at the top twenty in this list and you immediately realize you are looking at a list of the most "socialist" nation's on earth.

    • 2 years ago
  • keviar
    • 0
      keviar  
    • I dont know what the fuss is about.

      I give my care card number to the hospital. They sit me down for about 30 minutes and that was it.

      And the government also pays for your family doctor as well. And the appointments are scheduled about a week after you call; maybe even sooner, depending on the severity of your condition.

    • 2 years ago
  • ohthat
  • regjoeschmo
    • 0
      regjoeschmo  
    • Do we really think our federal govt can do this right?? Look at just the track record with education....

      I would approve of state run healthcare because it would be more localized. Granted California, Texas, Alaska would need to divide certain territories, but IF this is going to work, it should be state run.....

    • 2 years ago
  • angelawest
    • 0
      angelawest  
    • Hey Guys:

      I'm libertarian in viewpoint, but I couldn't let this one go. I live in Canada and if a doctor isn't available, all we have to do is walk in to the nearest clinic or emergency room and we get seen right away. It can be harder to get a family doctor in some rural areas, but that's about it.

      I'm passionate about this issue because my husband went through a grueling battle with cancer that he wouldn't have won without the awesome resources and doctors that we have here in Ontario. The same care would have cost us or an insurance company millions in the US and we are debt-free and he is alive because we live here.

      I'm not sure where these studies are coming from but I know from being a writer that you can make stats say whatever you want them to. My experience is that our healthcare is free and readily available.

    • 2 years ago
  • quixotic12
  • div
  • neocongo
    • 0
      neocongo  
    • Medicaid and Medicare cover those most likely to need health care; the poor, the disabled, and the elderly, and still the insurance industry can't provide affordable health care to 50 MILLION people. They can afford millions and millions in campaign contributions and lobbying efforts with that 16% profit they take off the top.

      If you can't see how broken our current health care system is, you need to exclude yourself from the Democratic process, because you are a dumb fuck.

    • 2 years ago
  • mgerlach22
    • 0
      mgerlach22  
    • neocongo:

      medicare and medicaid will be broke in 10 years...then what? this program will follow the same path as every other social government program aimed at the poor...it will be broke, corrupt and the poor will still be poor.

      health care costs never exploded until the government got involved with social programs. now these programs are going broke and the poor are still bitching. keep the government out of these industries and you might be surprised at the affordability of these services. eliminate competition and watch the prices soar.

    • 2 years ago
  • montesooma
    • 0
      montesooma  
    • neocongo:

      yeh socialism doesn't work, capitilism does.
      which is why europe is adopting it more and more to see if they can get people to get off their asses and go back to work.
      Hey the money has to come from somewhere.

    • 2 years ago
  • JMPxx85
    • 0
      JMPxx85  
    • Sen. Max Baucus, Chair of the Finance Committee announced last week: "Single-payer option is not on the table because it cannot pass." A week earlier, a rally, co-sponsored by one of the main advocates of single-payer system, CNA/NNOC took place on Capitol Hill. Hundreds of nurses, doctors and health care reform advocates gathered to express their opinion on the health care issues...

    • 2 years ago
  • JMPxx85
    • 0
      JMPxx85  
    • While the debate over changes to the US health-care system continues, lobby groups are investing advertising dollars to get their point across. One such group, Conservatives for Patient's Rights has released an advertisement outlining Canadian dissatisfaction with government run health care. The Real News Network invited Torontonians to respond...

    • 2 years ago
  • redryan
  • igordy
    • 0
      igordy [removed]  
    • Notice how the left rants that we need the socialized medicine in America - trampling over the "republicans" in its march of false righteousness. What America needs is for Hussein to step down, for the government to go back to its basics - National Security, US Mail and a few other things that the government can do well. The rest should be left either to the states or in privite hands - just like it should be in a thriving CAPITALIST country. You lefties remember USSR? I've lived there - I know that this system SUCKS! You have no fucking clue with your empty idealistic bullshit. The equality for all doesn't fucking work - it's not in the Human Nature! The wealth distributed to the masses, taken from the rich will flow back to the rich - and the masses will once again suck dick! That's HUMAN nature. Nationalized healthcare is wrong on all counts:
      1. It will bankrupt us trying to implement
      2. It will drastically reduce the quality of care in US
      3. It will result in a reduction of new doctors and other medical professionals, as incentives to study for 10 years past the graduate degree and amass school loans will disappear
      4. It will create a HUGE inefficient and CORRUPT system - just like everything the govt. does.
      5. It is WRONG for AMERICA!!!

      Britain and France tell us to stop this mistaken effort - to learn from their example - but Hussein forges on - he needs to make a mark.

      My earlier statements hold - he fucking dropped the bullshit prosecution of the previous administration - because it would create a nasty precedent - and he will be tried for treason - for killing America from within!!!

    • 2 years ago
  • TaGgInUrBlOcKuP
  • keviar
    • 0
      keviar  
    • igordy:

      Capitalism doesn't know what the fuck it's doing. Our culture does not grasp the implications of a throw away society. Even if they do understand, they are too lazy or are perfectly comfortable with the way things are. To the extent of dissuading the public to their corporate whim.

      That in the state you are in, health-care is failing because of the destroyed economy.

    • 2 years ago
  • igordy
    • 0
      igordy [removed]  
    • igordy:

      Kev, you speak of Capitalism like it was a person - "Capitalism doesn't know what the fuck it's doing" - that statement means shit! As to your assertion that our medical system is failing - well, good old buddy - we have the best medical care in the world. I am an MD - and I am here to tell you it is so. One of these days you too will need a transplant - and then we'll see, whose door you'll be knocking at. Hey - I like Canada - it's a wonderful country - but not like US. We don't have a luxury to hide behind anyone's back. Get my drift? No one considers Canada without America first - that's just the way the world works - sorry, don't feel jealous or offended - but we own your ass. I have no beef with you or Canada - one couldn't ask for a better neighbour - and I mean that withour any bullshit. But again, what might or might not work in Canada might not even apply to US. We have much more of everything - good and bad both - and the bad really drags us down...

    • 2 years ago
  • keviar
    • 0
      keviar  
    • igordy:

      Capitalism is an ideal. An ideal used by a society. A society should be cohesive like the human body in its cellular construct. So to say that humanity can be one enormous organism is to look at the big picture.

      Your argument is that it's a dog eat dog world. It certainly is. And you are correct to say that America owns Canada. Since Corporations own America.

    • 2 years ago
  • igordy
    • 0
      igordy [removed]  
    • igordy:

      Kev, Capitalism is not an ideal - it is an economic system, one that is not perfect, but nevertheless proven to work better than the rest, as is evidenced by the highest comparative average standard of living enjoyed by the people in the western hemisphere! Marx wrote that socialism is the next step in development, after capitalism. Russia jumped from feodalism into socialism - and look where that got them. But what did Marx know 100-some years ago? He was a theoritician - a philosopher at best. Capitalism is cold and impersonal - but so is socialism - I've lived it. Democracy can't thrive in socialism - it sucks the freedom out of society - with government ultimately usurping more and more control. It creates vast inefficiencies, it promotes the sense of entitlement, kills competition, thus quality suffers.

    • 2 years ago
  • montesooma
  • FrankyZemo
  • KB6SRT
    • 0
      KB6SRT  
    • igordy:

      I am SO glad that there are other people who use their head for something other than putting a hat on top of. Thank you for being a loud, obnoxious, prick about the truth! YOU ROCK!!! How in the heck did these asshole liberals get to where they are in the FIRST place??? I didn't vote for them. I guess they learned from a famous snake in History.
      We don't have to be a religious nation (which I do prefer to recognize God for who and what He is)) but for God's sake, don't let them exercise their freedoms to do what they want, at the expense of others freedoms! What a bunch of shitheads/ Liberals SUCK!

      I remember as a young boy a kid in the neighborhood who acted like that. ALWAYS had to be in charge, ALWAYS had to have the last say, ALWAYS trying to convince the other kids that his way was better....... We kicked his ass one day and he never acted like that again. In fact, he was overly nice to all of us after that.

      Maybe we should send liberal, socialist, democraps through the same training prior to taking office. OOPS. Did I type democraps accidentally?

      One PISSED-OFF (former republican) Libertarian who knows a bad deal when he sees it.
      KB6SRT

    • 1 year ago
  • trut
  • KB6SRT
    • KB6SRT  
    • trut:
      This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
  • regjoeschmo
    • 0
      regjoeschmo  
    • KB6SRT:

      wow, pulling the race card... thats classy.. i wonder how MLK would have taken this.... in all honesty its hateful and racist in its own right... do not be that which you claim to be against, it will get you nowhere......

    • 1 year ago
  • blknight
    • 0
      blknight  
    • Just because it is socialized doesn't mean it's slow. Bad example. When a doctor's office is full of people, then it is slow. It's simple--not enough health care.

      But that's the nice thing about the new plan in the US. You would be able to choose private or public.

    • 2 years ago
  • asherp
  • unimatrix0
    • 0
      unimatrix0  
    • This is right wing propaganda meant to scare people. Same old despicable Republican tactics, the party of "no".

      Don't but the conservative lie.

      We need single payer, universal, socialized medicine now.

    • 2 years ago
  • FrankyZemo
    • 0
      FrankyZemo  
    • unimatrix0:

      Unimatrix, you're about as fair and balanced as FOXnews, and make about as much sense as that Season 6/7 Voyager Cliffhanger (not a hell of a lot of sense)

      Socialized medicine would be a total disaster here. Imagine now, if everyone was reaching for primary care physicians...tell me, how many medical students are going to be in primary care...3%? Our system, or a socialized system can't accommodate an extra 30-60 million people all grabbing for doctors..sad but true.

      From almost a decade watching the Federal Government work for for 8 hours a day, I honestly believe that it would be a total disaster (and a wasteful one at that) to see the Federal Government in charge of health care. These people can't even manage VA care, or the mental health of our active soldiers...don't tell me that they can tackle the whole country.

      And before anyone starts quoting Michael Moore, hear this...of course Michael Moore wan'ts socialized medicine. I wouldn't want to pay for my medical care of I were him either. You know...future chronic diabetes, gout, reflux, and cheeseburger induced heart-attacks.

    • 2 years ago
  • Marilynn_Murray
    • 0
      Marilynn_Murray  
    • unimatrix0:

      Explain why 15,000 doctors advocate for HR 676. Why do the nurses associations want it? Why has Medicare worked so well for 50 years? Why should 30% of our health care dollars go to insurance companies for operating costs and profits? It's going to happen so if you don't want to use it, don't.

    • 2 years ago
  • FrankyZemo
    • 0
      FrankyZemo  
    • unimatrix0:

      Easy. The government has deep pockets, and doctors get paid no matter what. They probably also realize that people are people.

      When people are paying for procedures themselves, or having an insurance pay for something, they are a lot less willing to have tests and exams done. "I'm not paying for it and my insurance can't drop me...why not?" a patient would think. This is why many have hard of insurance companies giving doctors rewards/bonuses for not sending people for tests.

      With insurance companies out of the way, and a major cash-cow now paying patient bills...doctors would have ample reason to start recommending unneeded tests, wasting tax dollars, and filling up their pockets, AND they would no longer have to fight with insurance companies to get their money.

    • 2 years ago
  • bruno0182
  • MissAmanda
    • 0
      MissAmanda  
    • I have a neighbor that moved to NH from Canada and she was pregnant at the time. She called a local doctor for a pre-natal checkup and care and was amazed and astonished that they could see her only DAYS after she called...she was used to waiting weeks for an appointment...for her PREGNANCY no less...what if something happened to her or her baby in those weeks she had to wait for socialized care?

    • 2 years ago
  • i_dr
    • 0
      i_dr  
    • MissAmanda:

      You can see a doctor right away here. Drs don't specialize like they do in the states here, you only have General Practitioners who are trained to handle all sorts of things, including prenatal care. Your friend was probably shocked that she saw an ob/gyn right away, as we don't get that here. But guess what, unless you have a high risk pregnancy or some pre existing condition, you don't even have to have a dr deliver your baby (ever heard of midwives? they are nurses) I am from the U.S. and living in Canada with my first pregnancy, I have a doctor I see regularly for my check ups and have her number in case of emergencies, plus a hotline I can call at anytime of the day, PLUS i can always go into any walk in clinic or ER if I really feel like i need it, without walking out with a bill.

      Ask your friend how she liked her UNPAID maternity leave in the U.S. One great benefit about our "awful" socialist system here, 50 weeks paid maternity/paternal leave to spend with our newborn babies without having to put our babies into daycare when they're still breastfeeding.

    • 2 years ago
  • mgerlach22
  • TopScruffy
    • 0
      TopScruffy  
    • mgerlach22:

      I had to wait 2 months to see my doc in the U.S., then pay for it. This by no means shows a failure of the Canadian system. Especially compared to U.S. health care which is already a display of failure.

    • 2 years ago
  • asherp
    • 0
      asherp  
    • mgerlach22:

      I've had to wait for 5 years just to get a check up from my doctor, because I can't fucking afford it.

      I've also had to wait 4 years to see a dentist, because the last time I went to the dentist, it cost me $350 just for a checkup, and I can't afford that shit.

      I live in the USA.

      I would rather wait two months and see a doctor for free then wait 5 years, and still not be able to afford it.

    • 2 years ago
  • unclecharlie
    • 0
      unclecharlie  
    • Socialized medicine was touted as truly for the people- and now we see the pile of poop that is really is. And now we have our first socialist president preaching it. Ugh!

    • 2 years ago
  • diabolical44
    • 0
      diabolical44  
    • unclecharlie:

      first socialist president eh? ever heard of FDR? he's considered one of the greatest presidents we've ever had and if you think Obama is socialist, get a load of the shit he did. and it was great too!

    • 2 years ago
  • FrankyZemo
  • trut
    • 0
      trut  
    • unclecharlie:

      Yes, all the industrialized nations are dying for an American style healthcare system aren't they? Having companies pay thousands of dollars for insurance makes them more competitive doesn't it?

    • 2 years ago
  • OOKS
    • 0
      OOKS  
    • I grew up in Rochester, MN (Where the Mayo Clinic is) and I remember many, many Canadians coming to Rochester because of the healthcare system in Canada. Some were even coming out of necessity, needing vital surgeries and treatments they couldn't wait for.

      It really gave me an idea of what socialized medicine would be like.

    • 2 years ago
  • trut
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