I wrote in this thread about my wife’s unexpected heart attack last weekend due to a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD). It has been a tough week, but the prognosis for full recovery is good.
Anyhow, I wanted to take the opportunity to sing the praises for the Canadian health care system. She spent 12 hours in emergency, followed by 3 days in Cardio ICU. In that time she had at least 4 c-scans, 2 ultrasounds and x-rays. She had blood tests every 2 hours for 4 days. She was sent to British Columbia’s top cardio unit for an angiogram. She had two trips by ambulance with an attending paramedic AND an attending RN. She was constantly monitored by a team of cardiologists and received medication including blood thinners, anti-nausea meds and morphine. Everyone she came into contact with was helpful, positive and skilled. She will be having more procedures to monitor her recovery, including ultrasounds and another angiogram. She will have follow-up appointments with her family doctor, her cardiologist and the worlds top specialist in SCAD (conveniently located in my city).
And the bill? Nothing. Zero. Nada. No costs other than parking at the hospital. No worries about money, we can just concentrate on her recovery.
I can’t say enough good things about healthcare in Canada…
Here, the drill is that you wife would be required, as a foreign visitor who has not paid into the system, to be billed for the treatment.
In practice many hospitals are easy about pursuing it, either because it’s more trouble than it’s worth or they are ideologically opposed to billing foreigners anyway.
In Ontario, too, we’d have to pay, or at least, I’ve had to pay (actually, they were good about accepting my company’s international insurance).
There’s no “Canadian health system,” though. There’s the B.C. MSP, and the Ontario OHIP, etc. Ontario hospitals are actually pretty clear and open, and publish their fees for services for foreigners.
I had the opposite experience when I had cardiac issues necessitating angiography and a stent. I had to contact my medical insurance to question if/how they would cover my needs. I had to call for my own ambulance from my hospital bed to transport me from hospital “A” to hospital “B” in order for it to be covered. I had to fight to have my morning doses of overpriced meds deducted from my bill, choosing instead to pick up my prescriptions on my way home.
When I went to my cardiologist for a follow-up, I discovered my copay was more than the doctor charged uninsured patients. Subsequent follow-ups were skipped.
In the last few months I have had a) gallstones b) liver sepsis. (I’m fine now!)
The gallstone were both painful and irritating (no cheesecake for glee. )
The liver sepsis could have been life-threatening, if not treated promptly.
In treating the two conditions I had:
multiple blood tests
several doctor’s appointments
a couple of MRIs
a few ultrasounds
two ambulance trips
one three hour operation
three stays in hospital (totalling a couple of weeks)
As Latimera said “And the bill? Nothing. Zero. Nada. No costs other than parking at the hospital. No worries about money…”.
When I visit the US (Vegas, baby!), I take out $1,000,000 in health insurance. (The UK Government issues stern warnings about always taking out such policies before leaving.)
For the record, today my wife had an echocardiogram and on Sunday she will have another ultrasound. As I drove her back from the hospital today, I suggested that was another procedure she could take off her bucket list! She was amused, which is a good sign…
Yeah, sure. No costs to you but what about the billionaire in Ottawa? If it weren’t for the treasonous amount of taxes he’s forced to pay to help cover your wife’s healthcare he could have bought an additional thoroughbred race horse.
I’m happy for your wife but please think of the chilling effect these taxes have on others. Sure, she’s alive but somewhere a Canadian richboy has the sadz and a jockey is out a job.
)