I know I've written a few times about the debate the United States seems to be having almost daily about healthcare. They can call it Universal healthcare or Medicare For All but whatever they decide to call it they certainly won't be using Canada as a model because they have no idea exactly what ours is or how it works.
In my life, I have never "paid" to visit the doctor. Not in my province of residence or when traveling across this beautiful country. I take out my health card and see a doctor. No one asks for my credit card or proof of insurance just that little card that I have possessed since birth. I can have ten million dollars in the bank or just ten cents, my bill is the same. Zero.
When a baby is born in Canada their birth is registered and a healthcare card comes in the mail so I guess we do "opt-in". We prefer to call it birth but you can call it whatever you like. And based on that information you can figure out how and when we "opt-out".
Now that I have the card, almost every single thing medical is covered. Most cosmetic surgery isn't covered like a facelift or skin tag removal. But if you are in an accident it most certainly covers reconstruction. Need a dermatologist, gynecologist, neurologist or nephrologist? Covered. Heart surgery? Covered. Appendix removed? Covered. Broken leg, stitches or sprained wrist? Check, check, check.
My doctor is paid by the provincial government. The office bills for each visit unless the doctor works on salary. If I need to see a specialist, again free, I am referred. Unlike my GP, who I pick myself, I have very little say in who that will be. Mostly because there isn't an overabundance of them in many specialties. 99% of all tests that are ordered, by any physician, are covered. MRI, CT Scans, pap tests, bloodwork etc all taken care of by the government.
We do pay for some things. And that's where insurance comes into play. Prescription drugs, eye exams, and physio, among others, comes out of our own pockets. But if you are in a certain income bracket there are programs to cover, or at least off-set, the cost. The people who administer these services even help you figure it all out. Canadians are so nice!
Is our system perfect? Not even close. But no one, NO ONE, is ever denied healthcare. Ever. Because Canadians believe it is a right not a privilege. Which most of the US population does not seem to. Or at least their government doesn't.
So after explaining all that let's talk about what is always said next by US politicians who oppose everyone having access to free healthcare. "It's not free you pay in your taxes." That's absolutely true we do. Those who make more pay more. I pay for my elderly neighbor, who paid for me when I was a kid and so on. Canadians take care of each other.
People in the US pay taxes. Just like us, they get libraries, schools, sidewalks, and roads from their paycheck deductions. We Canadians get the added bonus of healthcare. We all agree we pay too way too much in taxes. But we also all agree we would never reduce them if it meant losing or diminishing our healthcare. It's just too important.
Bottom line, for me anyway, every single person on the planet has the right to healthcare. Income, geography, and pre-existing conditions should never play a role in it. And if you want others to call you the greatest country in the world you better lead by example......and you are not.
Ang
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