It's almost hypocritical. Our lack of universal healthcare causes so many otherwise mildly ill people to become much sicker. (U.S. health insurers, who make much of their money by throwing red tape at people until they just give up on legit claims, are especially vicious toward those with mental illness, who are statistically more likely to give up easily.) Then the U.S. says, "no sick people! We've made too many of our own!"
Just to offer the anecdotal opposite: we left Canada precisely because the health care system harmed my son. Since living n the US, both of them have gotten help for far, far less than it would have cost in Canada to go the private route, and with a dramatically shorter wait time. This is without needing to use private insurance.
Having survived a childhood of OHIP, I find it hard to believe that your son received a significantly worse quality of care because you were in Canada. I don't doubt some doctors are better than others, but that happens everywhere.
It's not because we were in Canada, but because of the structure of Canada's Healthcare system, and specifically Quebec's.
> I find it hard to believe
Don't let my facts get in the way of your beliefs.
Edit: Better yet, let me treat you the same way. I doubt your story, liar. Fuck, you offer up a contradicting story, and people find it so hard to believe and immediately doubt you.
Seriously, if you think Canada's health care system is perfect, you are delusional.
edit: I get that this is a personal issue for you, and you got piled on for giving an anecdote that didn't fit people's expectations. I wasn't following the whole thread, so I didn't see you already answered my questions below. That said, you were kind of a jerk considering you gave no detail (not the province, not the illness, not the complaint, nothing but "Canadian healthcare sucks").
Was language a contributing factor? With the exception of Montral Quebec tends to be like a completely different country, and they definitely prioritize French language services. I could see getting an English-speaking specialist would be tough, especially in a smaller place.
> That said, you were kind of a jerk considering you gave no detail (not the province, not the illness, not the complaint, nothing but "Canadian healthcare sucks").
Considering the original comment I was replying to was "US healthcare sucks," I don't see why I need to pony up the proof. There are 50 states, all with different rules and regulations, all with different programs, and all that do things better in some areas than others. I'm tired of playing the game of having to explain it every time, so I limit my explanation to what I'm replying to.
As for being piled on, I'm used to it. But consider it's my kids, I feel it's worthwhile. If I can save someone else's child from suffering what my child had to suffer, it's worth it.
> Was language a contributing factor?
No.
First, this was several years ago, before the latest government went all crazy with the French language and French language police. It's worse now, but back than, it wasn't as bad.
Second, we lived and would have received services in Montreal.
Thirdly, we never prioritized English. My wife speaks French just fine, and we didn't care if it the service was in English or French.
Fourth, it was a result of regulations by the government saying that early intervention for children with Autism is not crucial. This was explained to us many times. This rule flies in the face of every doctor. Early intervention for children with autism is key.
Fifth, for the amount of money I was paying in taxes, I found it evil the amount that was being given to police the french language over Autism assistance. I will not ever stand to support that province again in any way, and have no qualms about fucking it over every chance I get.
Sixth, we were told on more than one occasion we should give up our son to a state run home. Now, this is the part that really gets people, and I'd love to say I was lying. I realize this isn't official policy, but still. It's the mentality. From what I'm told by others working up there in the medical field, this isn't uncommon for the French.
Anyways, that's more information than I intended to share, but point is, we did everything in our power. My wife worked this full time, submitting paperwork to every possible location to the point where our primary physician told us to stop sending out letters because she was tired of getting requests for information.
The straw that broke our back was being informed that we had finally gotten an appointment after 6 months of waiting, and we scheduled that appointment (which would take place 6 months later, mind you). This was with an service that our doctor from one of the children's hospitals in Montreal had recommended to us for our son. We got this appointment in the sprint of 2011, and we were finally happy that we were moving forward. That afternoon, we got a call back from the agency, and they cancelled the appointment, because they don't take children with autism. One moment we were happy! The next, horrified that all that work was for nothing. Over a year, and we had nothing to show for it, and our son was almost 2 1/2. Luckily, I am American, and we made the decision to move that day.
So yeah, I have a deep seeded hatred for Quebec, and the Canadian Healthcare system that allowed that to happen. Almost 10 years of living up there, and when we really needed the system, it failed us hard. It wasn't money, it wasn't lack of doctors, it wasn't even a lack of need.
It was purely a choice, political, and prioritizing a stupid language.
There's a misconception in the US that foreigners come to the US for healthcare and that somehow vindicates our shitty insurance/payment fuckuppery-industrial complex. In fact, (1) most of those foreigners come from the Third World, not W. Europe or Canada, and (2) to the extent that it is true, they come for specific doctors with global reputations, and would go to whatever countries those doctors lived in (and some are in the US, some are not).
Are you saying that you're getting better healthcare than in Canada, at much lower cost, while being uninsured in the US? That's hard to believe.
Healthcare is not free in the US, so someone is paying for the services your family is receiving. Perhaps you meant that you have high-quality employer-paid insurance. In that case, sure, once you're hooked up "within the system" it works. Don't lose your job!
> Are you saying that you're getting better healthcare than in Canada, at much lower cost, while being uninsured in the US?
No, that's not at all what I said. Not at all.
> That's hard to believe.
Oh, the problem is one where my facts are conflicting with your belief structure. I got it.
What part specifically? The part where I actually got care despite not getting any care after over a year waiting? That the cost is so much substantially lower that it's essentially free?
And what does my insurance have to do with it? Yes, I have insurance, but it doesn't cover the cost. The state does. My job has nothing to do with it.
I meant exactly what I said. Even the part about harming my son.
While the quality of health care varies from province to province, and rural areas, the health care in Canada is very good. Is it perfect? No. Is it awesome? Yes.
Usually wait times aren't that terrible, and the quality of care is very good. I've had 2 surgeries. One of which would have been very expensiveness in the US.
I've talked about it a million times it seems like. Short version: Quebec's health care system harms autistic children in Quebec. We were on waiting lists for years to get any care whatsoever. Going the private route meant north of $30k a year, none of it offset by the prices we already paid for care. This still required a 1+ year wait.
First 2 weeks in Pennsylvania resulted in more care than we got in the more than year up in Quebec fighting for anything for my son. My wife, a Canadian who was afraid of the US health care system before, loves it now. State/county helps to cover the cost of care for our children.
I suspected you were in Pennsylvania (but didn't want to say it, for I prefer not to speculate on others' health problems) based on your other posts. Yes, the state has an excellent MR/MH program (disclaimer: my father worked for the state government).
U.S. health insurance is not something to be proud of in general, but Pennsylvania's support for children with special needs is excellent.
