You hear alot of talk these days of Americans going to Canada to take advantage of their lower prescription drug prices. But what about taking advantage of their lower medical bills in general? I mean, having “socialized”* medicine as they do, the prices must be much lower. And add to that the U.S./Canada dollar exchange, and how can you lose?
I could be wrong, but esp. for those who are uninsured, this seems like it is something that could work. Someone please correct me if my facts are wrong, though:).
*I don’t believe Canada has “socialized” medicine anymore than the U.S. has socialized elementary education. It is just “public” in my opinion–albeit better subsidized by the govt. in Canada;)
I’m not sure if you’re kidding, but to get “free” health care in Canada you need to be a resident. And further to that, each province is responsible for its own health care so you need to be a resident of the province you’re expecting treatment in.
I have to admit I’m not sure what it would cost to pay for service out of pocket. But I can only assume its like our universities that are wicked cheap for Canadians, but crazy expensive for non-residents (for example tuition might cost $4,000 for Canadians but $30,000 for non-residents).
As a matter of fact, you DON’T need to be Canadian to get health care in Canada. Not only that but a great many people already go to Canada to enjoy much lower health care costs.
For example, my neighbor just went across yesterday to visit his regular dentist who pulled one of his teeth. He has had what he thought was a sinus infection for weeks but turned out to be an infected tooth. He paid 90 dollars Canadian, which translates to what, about 50 U.S.? He has used the dentist up there for years because the local dentists here aren’t taking new patients. As a side note, he also mentioned that all the other patients in the waiting room were from the states.
Many of our friends have gone to Canada over the years to have their children, for several reasons actually. Lower cost, no obstetrical care locally, and the children enjoy dual citizenship until they are 18.
I have friends that go regularly for cancer treatments because of reduced costs and really, it goes on and on.
The only real difference that I have ever seen, is that it is strictly a cash business, no credit and no insurance.
We have an Indian casino here in Idaho that makes much of it’s money by folks coming from elsewhere in the region, riding a charter bus into Canada to see their doctors or buy their prescription medications. When they come back through, they spend their savings at the casino.
If you’re really at the end of your rope, you can get free medical treatment if you’re in a prison too. Why doesn’t everyone without health insurance commit crimes so they can get free medical care? :rolleyes: Why? Because it’s not worth the hassle.
No, but the response was not that you have to be CANADIAN. It was that you have to be a RESIDENT to get health care under the government insurance program. A landed immigrant, for instance, is covered, even though not a Canadian citizen.
If you are not a resident, you aren’t covered under the provincial program. If you’re not covered under the program, you pay full price. Obviously no Canadian hospital will say no to someone willing to pay in lieu of a health card.
About $70 US.
Dentistry is a free market in Canada. It’s not part of the government health care insurance system. (I’ve never understood why, but there it is.) If it’s cheaper, that’s primarily because of market forces, not government intervention. In the case of dentistry, to be quite honest, the system is propped up by private insurance companies getting jacked up; my dentist charges my insurance company like $350 for a regular check and clean, but if I went in with no insurance and paid them in cash they’d charge me $150. I can’t believe it’s legal, but somehow it is.
Actually, there is a big business in going to other countries for cheaper and/or better medical treatment. I’ve seen services advertising for both Canada and Mexico. Businessweek ran a story a few months back about how Thailand is a major destination with relatively low costs for good medical care.
A few years back, I went to Canada to get LASIK eye surgery. The cost was $1000. This was when it the cost down here was $3000-$5000. For this particular procedure, it wasn’t a good idea because some follow-up care is required but it worked out because the company I went to opened up an office a few miles from me a few months later. Subsequently, they went bankrupt.
Also, for the record, your universities are more expensive for international students than for residents - but still extremely inexpensive compared to many American universities.
FWIW, before my SIL was my SIL she was here in Canada on a visitors visa and developed a wicked case of eczema (not surprising given the change in climate).
I took her to the clinic and the eczema was looked at for about 30 seconds and she was given an Rx for cortisone cream.
Total out of pocket cost to her: $275 CDN plus $$ for the Rx
I’m not sure that’s actually a substantive savings over going to a clinic in the US, particular when you factor in travel and accomodation costs.
A friend, a Canadian working in Florida and without health insurance, needed thyroid surgery. She was not eligible for Canadian medical coverage because she had been out of the country over 6 months. The cash-on-the-barrelhead cost of the surgery and related treatments was 50% less in Ontario than Florida. If you aren’t going to cack in a week, it could be something for the frugal American to look into.
Going overseas for obesity surgery is becoming popular because most insurance will not cover it. However people aren’t limiting themselves to Canada, they are also going to Mexico and Scandanavia for obesity surgery.
I read an article about this subject once. It said in the next 20ish years with international travel costs becoming low and medical costs going up people will start traveling internationally looking for cheaper medical care.
I think obesity surgery is only about $15k in Mexico, while it is around 50k in the US (for example).
That would be only about 67-68 cents US on the Canadian dollar, a level it has not been at for quite some time.
As of today the Canadian buck is worth 71.58 cents, so the correct answer is… $64.42. You were closer, so you win the donut.
amarinth, as to university costs, I think it depends on the university. No Canadian university will cost you as much as, say, Harvard or MIT, but (and as a Queen’s alumnus I have to swallow hard to say this) there is no Canadian school of equivalent quality. I think a good U.S. state college would cost more in line with Canadian prices, and would be equivalent in quality.
Dentistry for some reason is classified as cosmetic , rather than health related (being sick). Fun wow , when you have an impacted and infected tooth that has to be pulled.
Most of the examples of ‘cheap’ Canadian health care mentioned so far are outside of our socialized medical system. LASIK surgery, for instance, is totally privatized. So is dentistry, and maybe the clinic that offered ointment for exzema (depends on what kind of clinic it was).
A couple of years ago I pinched a nerve in my back (on our wedding anniversary - we had rented a room in a romantic little bed and breakfast, then I wrecked my back during supper). Anyway, I went to the hospital ER for treatment. They sat me in a chair and I waited for a couple of hours. Then a doctor came out and asked me a few questions, and I waited for another hour. Finally, a tech came out and trotted me into a room for X-rays. After that, they gave me some aspirin and laid me down on a gurney in the hallway (with about five other people on gurneys - crowded hallway). I laid there for an hour, until a doctor came by to tell me there was no bone damage and I should hobble home and rest in bed.
When I went to do the paperwork, I couldn’t find my Alberta health care card. So they billed me, and told me they’d cancel the bill if I could come back and present my health care card. The bill, for a total of half an hour with a doctor and an X-ray, was $800.
So no, I don’t think you’re going to get cheap health care in Canada.
I also think that it’s no coincidence that the services that ARE cheap and effective in Canada, such as dentistry and LASIK surgery, are totally private.
I’ve personally considered going to India to get my wisdom teeth pulled. I don’t have medical insurance, and the teeth are gonna have to go. For the price of getting them pulled here, I could get them taken care of there and have a nice vacation to India as well. I don’t know if I’d actually go through with this plan, but hearing people I know in India talk about their $40.00 root canals with $50.00 caps makes it seem pretty reasonable.
Well, if my own experience with ER here in Vegas is any indication, if you had been brought to a hospital in this town, you would have been charged $1000 for the privilege of being (mis)treated in the ER, plus an additional $400 from the doctor who treated you.
So, Canada still sounds like a bargain from that perspective
