Another Advantage of UHC: "We're not going to push your father out into the snow!"

So, 88 year old Piper Dad took a turn for the worse (Alzheimer’s, pneumonia, etc) and was in hospital. It became clear that his current care home could no longer look after him so I had to find a new home with greater levels of care right away.

In talking to the hospital, they told me he was ready to be discharged, as the medical condition had stabilized. I said I would need a couple of days to find a new place.

The nurse laughed. “Don’t worry - we understand. We won’t kick your Dad out into the snow.”

Thank heavens for universal health care in Canada. God bless Tommy Douglas, Emmett Hall and Mike Pearson.

I was watching a video yesterday of Americans trying Nanaimo bars for the first time. And one of them commented “I guess when you have universal health care you don’t worry about diabetes.”

Glad to hear your father is stabilized.

That actually generally wouldn’t happen here. Something like 70% of all nursing home revenue is from Medicaid. Very generally if you need to be in a nursing home and are too poor to afford it you can get Medicaid (it’s a myth you have to sell your assets or lose your home, that generally isn’t required.) There are also programs to make home care more affordable for persons who are borderline or maybe really should/could be at home, but the family is unable/unwilling to provide custodial care.

I’ve known many elderly people in my family to receive nursing/hospice and in house hospice/nursing care through government aid.

Generally Medicare pays for the medical costs of the elderly (persons above 65), but due to how it is classified most nursing home care is not considered “medically” necessary and thus not considered medical care. But where it is considered medically necessary, Medicare does pay for it. My Mom’s Medicare paid for a brief stint in a nursing home that was medically necessary, for example.

To get on medicaid takes time however, meanwhile the elderly suffer if they need to get into a nursing home as medicare will not pay for it, only medicaid.

Great post! We are elderly and in failing health but I don’t have to worry because I live in Canada. Thank Tommy Douglas for UHC!:smiley:

Also, the rules for determining financial eligibility, while they vary from state to state, generally require that you “spend down” your assets (with exceptions for items like your primary residence) to semi-destitution. And Heaven help you if you gave anything substantial to your children in the previous five years.