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2143 sats \ 46 comments \ @grayruby 22 Mar meta

I have been sharing a lot of negative news/data about my homeland Canada recently. I promise I am not a doomer or a hater. Canada is still a beautiful, wonderful country with great people and I am certainly very lucky to have been born and raised here. While I don't want to paint Canada as a terrible place to live, I also don't want to ignore the declining standard of living and quality of life that many Canadians (maybe most) are suffering from.

As most of you know, Canada has a publicly funded healthcare system. It was once well regarded and probably a lot of folks on the liberal side of the aisle in the US used to use it as an example of a successful publicly funded system. However, it has eroded drastically since I was a kid. Access to doctors, tests and services didn't seem to be a problem back then. There wasn't a shortage or doctors, nurses, technicians or diagnostic equipment. There was always arguments and demands for more funding as with any publicly funded program but it seemed to at very least get the job done.

I don't think the same can be said for the current system. The job is no longer getting done.

I have previously written about my frustrations regarding having to wait 9 months for an MRI that my dad desperately needed. However, I have not discussed my wife's situation though.

My wife had to have a day surgery a few months ago and while preparing for that process one of her scans revealed a growth her doctor was concerned about. It is not cancerous (yet) but is pre-cancerous and could possibly develop into cancer so he recommended she have another procedure to have it removed. "Ok, this is concerning let's get it done right away" is my wife's and my attitude regarding this situation. But not so fast. Four months later we haven't even been scheduled for a surgery date, let alone actually having it done. My wife's doctor told her because it is not yet cancerous it is likely she will have to wait at least 6 more months and possibly up to 12 more months as it is not considered high risk (we have already waited 4). So we just have to hope something opens up scheduling wise and this doesn't turn cancerous in the meantime.

It's highly frustrating and depressing. I know many other people who are dealing with similar uncertainty, delays and struggles with the system. Today a friend sent me an article highlighting that Canada is ranked last out of 10 wealthy nations for access to primary health care. Many people cannot even find a family doctor, let alone get the care they need. Here is a link to the article if want to learn more:

https://www.cp24.com/lifestyle/canada-ranks-last-in-primary-health-care-access-among-10-wealthy-countries-report-1.6817488

Again, I don't want to be a Canada hater. I love my homeland, we have a good life here, but I am concerned about the direction it is heading. Maybe I am living in my bubble and things are worse or as bad in other "wealthy" nations but I have two kids and personally I would rather not leave this nation a mess their generation needs to clean up.

Thanks for reading. GR

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181 sats \ 5 replies \ @Undisciplined 22 Mar

Sorry to hear that. It sounds very stressful.

One thing I can say for my fellow Americans is that they at least realize that our medical care system is screwed up. Most misdiagnose the problem, but acknowledging you have a problem is the first step, as they say.

My dad had to wait about a month to get someone to check out his pacemaker settings. He wasn't able to do much that whole time because of how bad he was feeling and he's someone who's not going to admit anything's wrong unless it's debilitating. I was pissed about how long that wait was.

Are Canadians turning against the system?

31 sats \ 4 replies \ @grayruby OP 22 Mar

I don't think turning against but becoming despondent with.

22 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

Can doctors go rogue and accept cash only?

A small but growing number of doctors are doing this in USA

50 sats \ 2 replies \ @Undisciplined 22 Mar

I don't want to think about what Canadian healthcare is going to recommend for despondence.

20 sats \ 0 replies \ @nichro 23 Mar

I'm gonna tell my kids that's the real Evil MAID attack

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

Euthanasia

171 sats \ 5 replies \ @Scoresby 22 Mar

Right after we got married, my wife and I lived in Vancouver for a while. While we were there, she started having seizures and got diagnosed with epilepsy. The first time she had a seizure, it came out of the blue. We had a pretty long ambulance ride and an overnight stay in the ER. If we had been living in the US, this would have cost a couple thousand dollars maybe as much as $10k. (That is with health insurance).

While there are lots of flaws with publicly funded healthcare, that whole thing would have been really hard for us to pay for. (She was in school and I didn't have a great job.) I'm still thankful that happened to us while we were there and not a few months earlier while we were living in the states.

65 sats \ 4 replies \ @grayruby OP 22 Mar

I would be happy with some private options to take pressure off the public system.

92 sats \ 3 replies \ @nichro 23 Mar

I don't know how it is in your province, but in mine, past few years that idea has been surfacing more and more, and sounds like a sin less and less.

People pushing the idea allude to how our current system failed, and for people who are scared by the word "private", point to EU countries who have countries with systems having both public and private parts (and functioning in symbiosis in some way, i don't know the details myself)

Honestly, it's come to a point where even people scared of anything "private" might start being like "let's just try anything other than this because this ain't working"

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @grayruby OP 23 Mar

I am in Ontario. I used to live in Toronto but moved a couple hours out of the city two years ago.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

In England, I think 60 percent of residents have private supplemental insurance. National health service or NHS would collapse without private supplemental insurance.

England has a medical brain drain. The best doctors move to USA or Switzerland or Singapore 🇸🇬

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

People often say health care is too important for it to be private.

Are drugs public? Prescription and over the counter

Is food production and distribution public?

Is clothing supply chain public?

Is housing public? Is education public? Is auto manufacturing and sale public?

So many important things are not operated by the government.

Last question: is plastic surgery covered in Canada? What about lasik surgery? Or IVF?

70 sats \ 10 replies \ @Coinsreporter 23 Mar

Here in India, I can only hope for such facilities. We have a publicly funded healthcare system but we don't usually go there because of the fact that the conditions are even not suitable for treatment. However, there's a lot of improvement near the big cities but for smaller ones I can't say the same. Although I also live my homeland and don't want to paint a bad picture. It's what it is.

60 sats \ 0 replies \ @xz 23 Mar

I love when people paint a realistic picture of a homeland. To say that you love your homeland but not accept or admit criticism seems disingenuous. I've traveled a fair amount and still did not find a perfect nation.

1 sat \ 7 replies \ @grayruby OP 23 Mar

I didn't know you were in India. Whereabouts?

210 sats \ 6 replies \ @Coinsreporter 23 Mar

I was born and brought up in Jaipur, Rajasthan. But at present I'm living in a small town on the banks of holy river Ganga. I settled here because my ancestral village just a few miles away from here. I own a school here, do some agriculture (because I got 2 hectares from my ancestors), have a non-profit organisation for environment. The place where I exactly live is the birthplace of the poet 'Khusro'. It's even called the land of Gods. It's green everywhere, no problem of fresh water and air, there are lot of temples and masques. Hindu and Muslims are living together so lovingly, so peacefully. This for has become a land of spiritual awakening.

Sorry, I know you just asked for whereabouts but I couldn't just help my emotions.

10 sats \ 5 replies \ @grayruby OP 23 Mar

Wow that sounds amazing.

Is Jaipur known for gems?

One of my closest friends is of Indian descent but he has been in Canada for almost 40 years now. I have never been to India but I spent a lot of time with people from the Indian community in Toronto area.

Do you speak Hindi?

50 sats \ 4 replies \ @Coinsreporter 23 Mar

Yeah, Jaipur is known for gems. Yes, I speak Hindi.

0 sats \ 3 replies \ @grayruby OP 23 Mar

Yes I thought so. My friend mentioned that to me and I recall when he went back to India he was going to Jaipur. He also indicated that different gems in jewelry is meant for different meanings. One may be for prosperity, another for health etc.

50 sats \ 2 replies \ @Coinsreporter 23 Mar

Yes, here people wear stones according to their astrology.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @grayruby OP 23 Mar

Very nice. I always enjoyed learning about Indian culture from my friend.

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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

The goal should be accurate picture, good or bad

India should not have public funded healthcare. Neither should anyone. India has over a billion people, many in poverty. A public system is impossible to finance. Rich countries can experiment with socialized medicine but even they cannot manage cost control

60 sats \ 1 reply \ @jgbtc 23 Mar

Governments always over promise and under deliver. And the people always fall for it, no matter how many times it's happened before.

50 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

Health care should not be profit driven. Everything should be free. Doctors should work for minimum wage. Nurses and hospital staff too.

I’m shocked this system causes dissatisfaction

60 sats \ 5 replies \ @nichro 23 Mar freebie

I believe you, fellow canuck. Imagine paying so much tax to fund a system, and then still having to shell more money and pay to see someone in the private sector. Because you just need to see someone.

Happened to me, happened to some of my friends. By contrast I didnt even know private healthcare in Canada existed til I was like 18yo. It probably did but you rarely or never heard of it. Now it's thriving because public healthcare cannot meet demand.

Oh and it seems some specialists, like dermatologists, just don't exist. I was looking for a family member around my city and found a total of one who took patients, and when I called they mentioned it was for kids only.

If your arm is not literally falling off, just save yourself the wait. Stay home and take some advil. That's probably what they'd tell you if you go to emergency anyway.

I asked a friend, when they told me they had the same experience and had to pay to go private, how they felt about it, and they basically read my mind:

"It feels like a heresy and betrayal to do it as a Canadian. And I felt like a customer. But as a VALUED customer."

10 sats \ 2 replies \ @grayruby OP 23 Mar freebie

Personally I think a lot of the doctor shortage issue has to do with the government changing the taxation rules for doctors. They used to be able to operate individually as professional corporations but no longer. Their practices can operate as professional corporations but individually they have to file taxes as employees. Many doctors began reducing their office hours after that change, many veteran doctors just retired.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

Brain drain?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

Doctor shortages are created by the state or medical association, unconscionable

Canada population is tiny compared to USA.

There is a doctor shortage in South Korea. Government mandated medical schools admit more students. Doctors are now on strike in South Korea.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

Is private healthcare in Canada private insurance or cash out of pocket?

30 sats \ 0 replies \ @nichro 28 Mar

I'm not 100% sure. I know there are group insurance plans (typically from employers) who will cover stuff like dental, vision, drugs either in part or fully up to a certain amount. You pay the difference.

Note: as far as I know, most of those private insurance plans do NOT cover your visits at the private sector. If I go pay to see a private doctor, it's like going for a massage without a doctor's note, they will refuse to reimburse.

30 sats \ 4 replies \ @Satosora 23 Mar

I know a lot of people go over the border to Canada for some prescription medicine because it is so much cheaper in Canada. It helps a lot that they are able to control the drug companies greed and keep it in check. USA isnt able to do that and it cant keep the greed of the health insurance companies in check, either.

50 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

The FDA approval process is slow. Canada gets new drugs at least a decade before USA approves

10 sats \ 2 replies \ @grayruby OP 23 Mar

The single payer system actually does seem to work well for prescription meds.

20 sats \ 1 reply \ @Satosora 23 Mar

Yeah. Its weird, the US should be able to get drugs for the same price. Its just the insurance companies bloating everything. I feel bad for people getting insulin.

50 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

It depends on the drug, if it’s generic vs brand etc

50 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 23 Mar

There are two ways to pay: time or money.

Waiting is a form of payment in a single payer socialized system.

Have we become too dependent on doctors and healthcare?

My grandmother lived to 101. Her doctors were average, her insurance was average.

Conversely, father of a friend died at 70. He was rich and had the best doctors and insurance money could buy

50 sats \ 1 reply \ @tnuts420 23 Mar

i've only been to canada once, and that was just a quick trip across the ambassador bridge to do some underaged drinking. everything else i know about canada i learned from the trailer park boys and letterkenny

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @grayruby OP 23 Mar

Good old Windsor.

50 sats \ 0 replies \ @joelaw 23 Mar

I love Canada. It is beautiful and the people are nice and trusting from what I hear. Although I do not know any Canadians personally, there are plenty I would like to meet and get to know someday.

50 sats \ 0 replies \ @BitcoinIsTheFuture 22 Mar

Deep thanks for sharing ! I’m a parent of two young kids in the US. It’s hard, man

50 sats \ 2 replies \ @Bell_curve 22 Mar freebie

If you can’t wait for a treatment or diagnosis, you can seek an appointment with a doctor in USA. Americans will take cash

The survey says Netherlands ranks first. I have a hard time believing Netherlands is ranked above Switzerland or France or Germany

10 sats \ 1 reply \ @grayruby OP 22 Mar

Yes, good advice. I was actually planning to do this regarding my dad's MRI but fortunately there was a cancellation and they were able to fit him in a couple months ago. My wife has another appointment with her doctor in early April. Hopefully we will have more clarity on her situation at that point.

50 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bell_curve 22 Mar

Especially if you go to urgent care clinic. They will accept cash and accept walk in, no appointments necessary.

Avoid hospitals unless it’s an emergency

20 sats \ 0 replies \ @r3drun3 23 Mar

In the US healthcare IS NOT private. There is not a free market but a bunch of government granted monopolies.

20 sats \ 0 replies \ @supratic 23 Mar freebie

I feel you and I understand surprises come unexpected, don't let them distract you, stay focus. Especially in Canada, you have wonderful alternatives available at your fingertips, you'll need to learn about it. You are responsible for preserving the value you generate, the same way you could be responsible for you health. I highly suggest you preventing, instead of waiting for it to get worse and have someone opening your wife body.