Poo Poo the US all you want, but it is undeniable that the US has a better health care system than Canada. No waiting years to get a doctor. My aunt had knee surgery that she waited 5 years for. That is bullshit. I met a man in Boracay last month and he had the same surgery and it only took him one month and he was active after just 3 days. When I was in Bangkok last september, I unfortunately needed medical care. I was hesitant to go to the hospital because I didn't think I could stand waiting for 5 hours in the waiting room, but when I got there I was being seen by a doctor in less than 10 mins. Tests were done because I thought I got dengue from Bali but it turned out to be just Covid. Anyway this was so eye opening. How can a developing country have such quick top notch service while a G7 nation has piss poor care?
And for that man that was denied, he is stage 4. Maybe his outcome even with the lung transplant was bleak.
Look, our healthcare system is nowhere near perfect. And, yes, if you have money, the US system is superior. But, do you think you are affluent enough to get this top-notch service if you lived down there? But, let's be real here: emergency or critical care is treated immediately. If you have a heart attack or stroke, you get all the diagnostic test and MRIs or what not that are needed, immediately. You do not wait. Period.
However, things that are less critical, like knee/hip replacement surgery can have long wait lists. COVID caused a massive backlog. The latest data from Ontario says that the average wait for knee replacement is now 20 weeks in Ontario. That....is a fucking long time if you are in pain. I get it. That sucks. BUT....your costs are basically for parking and maybe a private room.
But, let's look at what happens in the US. First, you need to see your doctor, who will likely refer you to a specialist. Your doctor probably charges you $50-$100 for that privilege, while the specialist is probably hitting you with $150-200....and that is after your insurance (and, theoretically, after it gave you permission to see the specialist). After that consultation, it takes anywhere from two weeks to several months before you actually get the surgery done. The cost, on average, is about $33,000 USD. And...you are almost 100% for sure paying something out of pocket, probably $5-$7,000 or more, depending on your insurance...
Now, also, take into consideration all the time you probably need to spend talking to your insurance company and the various billing offices for the doctors and hospitals. Yes, you might be able to get your knee fixed in two months instead of five. But, think of how much money you needed to spend to get that done. Do you think the average American has that kind of cash just lying around to do that? A huge number of people live with that pain for a hell of a lot longer than your aunt did.
I would rather wait for non-emergency services than roll the dice for bankruptcy for any medical emergency I might have. Keep in mind, in the knee replacement surgery scenario, that was an elective surgery. Imagine if you got hit by a car or had a heart attack. You have little choice or pre-arrangement for the care you might get. That could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars for care. Yes, many hospitals forgive or reduce their bills depending on your income and insurance levels, but ask yourself why medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcies in the US...
abc7.com
