Over the last month I have spent a lot of time in doctor’s offices and at the hospital. Some people might not think it’s a lot of time, but for someone who has been generally healthy all of her life, and who only has had to visit her doctor on an annual basis (as Graham would say, to “have my pap smeared”), it’s a lot.
Let’s see:
- first prenatal ultrasound at 8 weeks 5 days
- an emergency hospital visit, including urinalysis
- another emergency hospital visit, also including urinalysis
- abdominal ultrasound, including consultation with a radiologist
- third emergency hospital visit, including blood work, during which I was diagnosed as having gallstones
So that’s what, FIVE visits to either radiology clinics or hospital emergency rooms, right? What has the cost of this been to us, out of pocket?
Absolutely nothing.
When I go to the doctor or to the hospital or to have an ultrasound or have blood work done, I present my health card to the nurse or receptionist and I never see an invoice or a bill or the price of the treatment I am having.
I have never felt so blessed to be a Canadian.
Yes, we Canadians do pay for our health care in a round about way…we pay for it when we pay our taxes. Maybe we don’t use the system regularly, but you can bet your ass that when the time comes that one of us will need health care, hospitalization, diagnostic testing, surgery or emergency health services, even basic prenatal health care, we are grateful that we participate in a system of socialized medicine. I have no idea what the list of the above medical services would have cost us if we had to pay medical bills. Something tells me it would be beyond our means.
When we leave the hospital later this year with our newborn baby, we won’t have to pay one red cent. And for that I feel truly blessed.
Way to make me jealous.
Amen, Amy. (Kyla, I keep TELLING you to move to Canada …) I am happy to pay my taxes: I can easily afford it because I never even see the money that comes off my paycheque. Still, I’m pretty sure that, on balance, I receive more than my money’s worth.
And the peace of mind? As the M/C ad says … priceless.
I am always so happy to pay my taxes in exchange for free (or next-to-free for me – I’m in BC and in our tax bracket we pay a slight premium of $100 and some odd amount for two of us; 75% of that is paid by my employer). Over the last 8.5 months, I’ve seen the doctor at least once a month, now up to once a week.
And the knowledge that I can walk into any clinic or hospital and get treatment and not worry about how to pay for it? Well worth the taxes.
I know there’s lots of well thought out arguments against us crazy socialists having public health, but man, I could not imagine living anywhere where health care was not a human right. (I’ve lived in other countries but always with public health care!)
And you do really appreciate it when you have to take advantage of it. No one has ever claimed it was perfect (well, except Michael Moore, but he took some poetic license) but I am so glad it’s there…
I just found out that you’re pregnant! Whooooo hoooooo!! I’m so happy for you!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!
Your health insurance rocks!
Hugs!!
I noticed your tag “Oh Canada” and that’s the truth. I love our health care!
I have my complaints about this country but I feel blessed to have free health care for which, BTW, our government spends less, per capita, than the US gov’t spends on health care for its citizens…
Years ago, I often worked with billing in the Canadian hospitals and some people would be shocked if they saw the costs. When people had forgotten to renew their cards or never applied (!?!) and were presented with a bill at the end of their visit, it was almost always met with outrage. Just to talk to registration or receive any treatment usually costs more than the doctor examination – everything requires overhead and supplies. Almost everything is billed to the government but they don’t pay if you can’t be bothered to register for FREE health care (or are trying to use it illegally). I love our system, it has flaws, but all government programs have flaws. I just love being Canadian. Period.
One of the arguments against a single-payer, Canadian-style system in the U.S. is that the demand for healthcare will go up. If it’s free, the argument goes, people will be lining up for care. But who really goes to the doctor because they want to? Who would sign up to take medicines they don’t really need? Maybe a few hypochondriacs, but I can’t see people begging for brain surgeries just because they can. I *can* picture people getting more preventive care if it were free & available — and wouldn’t that be a good thing? Go Canada!