Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Question for my Canadian freinds

I've spent a fair amount of time in Canada. Every time, I ask about the health care I usually hear, " it has it's it's problems, but we wouldn't change it for yours" My son in law has diabetes and pays alot for insulin.So i am curious, is there a consensus? I am asking respectfully and not looking to get into augments about which system is better. It's just every time we hear anything down here about your system, it's negative.

The US has the highest medical costs in the world, but far from the best medical outcomes.

Canadians consistently rate our public healthcare system as Canada's proudest political achievement.

It's not perfect, by any means, but I wouldn't trade it for the American "system" for anything in the world.

My personal experience has been good, but I know some who have had a lot of trouble. I developed a blood disorder that required ongoing transfusions and then a splenectomy. All well handled.

I got a kidney stone and they did an MRI the same morning, yet I know people who have waited 6 months for an MRI for potential cancer.

Have a buddy who needed a hip replacement that waited years. Another who was told he needed (another) hip replacement and when he was on the table the doc looked at the X-ray and said it was his back, not his hip.

The biggest problem here in Canada is finding a family doctor. Most have wait-lists and you can go years without one. My own, I’ve been with the same office for 47 years (my current doctor took over from the original one). I’ve tried to find one closer to home now that I’ve moved out of the city, but no luck so I travel there when I need an appt.

That and we can’t pay extra for better service. No “two tier” health care. Except for pro athletes and politicians.

I think you saw the same thing with the ACA that the politicians weren’t required to have the same health plan they voted for everyone else. Gotta wonder why that is.

Well there are tax payers who pay into it and there are people who live on welfare that don't pay into it and so both parties get healthcare. Those who contribute get treated equally as poor as those who don't.

Long wait times, in clinics and ER. Going to see your Dr? In and out in 10 min, and that includes waiting in the room for him to finish with the patient before. I was literally told by my Dr that he didn't have time to remove a 4th mole, only 3 of the 4. I had a deviated septum, used to get killer sinus infections, all the time. It took a lot of appointments, lots of complaining to get things in motion. Most of the time I was told to get antibiotics. Eventually I quit going to the Dr for that. I had an appointment with an ENT and got my nose scoped and was supposed to be booked into a CT scan. The next solution was just prescription nasal sprays. One "specialist" in allergies wanted to give me a 12 month prescription for a steroid nasal spray. I filled one, read the box and the side effects and tossed it. More complaining to my new Dr and it turns out the ENT didn't book the CT scan!!!!!!! So my current Dr. booked in and in a few weeks I was in. Yup deviated septum. Okay then I had to go see a sleep specialist/ENT to get assessed AGAIN. Sleep study too. I said I wanted my nose fixed and eventually I had to go see the surgeon for another assessment. Okay I finally got my surgery, haven;t had an infection since.

People abuse the system, they go to the ER for every little damn issue because clinic wait times are horrendous. So the people with the actual emergencies get held up. Nurses and their staff are total bitches most of the time and they are LAZY. I played soccer with a guy that broke his leg and he was waiting 8hrs without a bed to even see a Dr.!!!


I am not sure how much tax I pay that specifically goes into the healthcare system but I would like to know, then I would like to know how much a US health insurance plan costs. Honestly in Alberta we might be going semi-private which could be great. My dad had to wait 6-8 months for a CT scan or MRI. He was going to AZ so he took all the forms from the Dr. and got next day service for $350USD.

If it was me and I hurt my knee or something and needed surgery, I would gladly pay out of pocket to get it fixed and return to work rather than wait in the line for months or even years.

It's not that great man!!!

Canada kinda sucks honestly.

Insulin would not be covered via the Canadian Public Health system.

It would possibly be covered under his employers Health Benefit plan, should his employer offer a benefits package to their employees.

I run a small 3 man automotive garage.

All my employees have full medical, dental, eye, death & disability coverage paid for by me.

This cost me, the employer, significant $$$$, a little shy of $20K per year, to fully cover 3 families.

But, I have the best red seal automotive technicians available in our area & our little business has a stellar local reputation.

Well, I'm way up North, away from the bulk of the population, each province virtually runs its own system, ........here, we're virtually subsidized by the Feds. Everyone claims we have the best system, almost everything is free, but it is abused by lots. Anything serious gets sent south and costs are paid along with housing. Lots of folks only stay here instead of retiring south because of the free medical. No one has to shy away from medical issues due to costs. Here, the insulin is free.

Thanks guys! I think my son in law pays about $500 a month for his insulin.

Canada ranks #30 on the World Health Organization's ranking of health care systems, so it's not as great as some of us Canadians claim. The truth is Canada's health care system rations services, for some things it can take month or years even.

After 18 months of struggling to get into see a spinal surgeon.

I was told by a top level spinal surgeon that I should wait another two years with serious issues from spinal stenosis as I would be happier with the results. Results that he gave me as a 50% chance of a 50% solution.

My comment was “so if I wait until my life is total crap I’ll be happy with your half-assed procedure”, his response was yes.

Got online and found a place in the states that did laparoscopic stenosis relief. Had the surgery within months and could have had it in weeks if I did not some things in the calendar I could not move.

There are things in the Canadian system which are good and some that suck. I’m sure if I had broader exposure to the American system I’d say the same.

The assh&le politicians and special interest groups on both sides of the border tell lots of lies to avoid having an honest and informed conversation about improving health care. Just my humble opinion.

Being from south of the border, all I can tell you is what I was told by someone out near Wabigoon's home away from home...…………..

Was talking to a guy about the healthcare situation and quality, wait times, etc...……. I asked him what people did when they REALLY needed a procedure. He said, "We go to Minnesota, eh."

Told me about all I needed to know, I guess...………….

Having lived in a country with a two-tier system and having lived in Canada for close to 20 years.
I’d say healthcare here in Canada has generally been very good to my family.
Wait times can be long for non emergency procedures, and some people go to the dr or ER for a cold which ties up resources so it’s not perfect in that way.
I’d say that if you have a higher income the two tier system is better but if you are middle class the Canadian system is better.

Exactly why I posted the question, the commercials on TV down here are all one sided. They really paint a negative picture of your health care system. Thank you for your reply!

Basically an echo of what others have said.

Specifically for your son, my understanding is our system doesn't cover anything insulin wise. In saying that, the US and Canada may have different control over the drug companies and the insulin here maybe less expensive (you'd have to research that), but you're still paying out of pocket unless you have an extended benefits plan through your employer.

As far as our health system in general, from my personal/family experiences, I personally think it sucks. Doctor shortages everywhere, lucky if you have one. Huge wait times for even the most basic tests/surgeries. As someone else mentioned everything is rushed and we are treated like cattle which causes the Drs to either not care or miss things, even the specialists. All the DRs up here seem to be very prescription driven, in other words rather than looking for a real cause/problem, they just automatically write a prescription to treat the symptoms. I feel like they are basically all sold out to the big pharma companies.

I injured my dominant shoulder sometime last spring, don't know how/what. After a few months of general rest/taking it easy, it wasn't getting better and got the feeling it would probably require surgery. Went to DR, she said she could get me an x-ray fairly quickly but it wouldn't confirm anything 100% as it's probably soft tissue or she could put me on the wait list for an MRI or ultrasound which could take up to 2 years but she suggested physio. I did 6 months of that which made no real difference. So here I am back at square 1 and will have to wait for up to 2 years to get an ultrasound or MRI before I can even see a specialist to discuss surgery. Basically anything I do that requires shoulder movement causes pain, often really bad sharp stabbing pain. I'm only in my early 30s and can barely shovel snow from my driveway. Can't play hockey. I'm an electrician by trade, if I was actually still working on the tools, I think I would be off work on long term disability. I should have put my name on the last at the start and at least I'd be 6 months further in the queue.

At this point, I'm considering looking into private surgery but even that's more difficult here as the government was using the private centers to take some of the burden off the public hospitals but then put more restrictions on them, like how many surgeries they are allowed to do in a day etc to prevent burnout. So, when all said and done, I either pay out of pocket for private, or wait years to go through public system, or now possibly even have to wait and pay! What a joke!

It's hit and miss. Trying to find a good doctor is difficult. Luckily I've had the same one since 1988. A LOT of screw ups with surgery and diagnosis. If there was something wrong with myself or my family we would be going to Mayo clinic. I know of several that have went. It has either saved thier lives or gave them a much better quality of life. We have a lot of immigrant doctors and surgeons. Some are very good. Others you wonder how it the heck did this person get a license to practice medicine. We pay for prescription drugs. Visiting a doctor or being in hospital is covered. Wait times to see a specialist or to have tests done or surgery can be long.

Like any system, it does get abused. Having a GP opens some doors quite quickly. Had a melanoma removed from the side of my nose and plastic surgery done in the same day. It cost me $10 for parking, no benefits plan involved. Hernia surgery was 4 weeks from diagnosis to being on the table.

Living in a smaller centre may get faster service but you still have to travel for the big stuff. Son was 10 weeks pre-mature and was hospitalized for weeks. It scares me to think of what that would have cost us in the US, probably our house, without insurance.

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Overall, I'll take our system, for medical care.

Health Canada deemed stem cell injections a "drug" and thus further restricting Canadians and holding us further hostage to the system.

I would try stem cell injections before surgery for most cases.

I had an arm/shoulder injury, bicepital tendinitis and my old Dr said there wasn't anything they could do, MAYBE PHYSIO he said. I said F that and went to physio, 5 sessions over 10 weeks with my own stretching daily and my arm was healed. I could punch that Dr several times over for the crap service he provided.


Lots of walk in clinics have a patient cut off too. By noon usually, if you aren't checked in to wait all day you're not getting in. Come back tomorrow.

The Canadian health care system is overloaded with bureaucrats and administration costs. Nonetheless, it has served us well. My wife's cancer treatments and surguries would have bankrupted us in the States. Emergency care has always been good and treatment has been prompt and thorough. When I talk to people who are spending a thousand dollars a month for insurance which does not cover everything, I can't help but wonder how they think that is a good system. At least the insurance companies are doing well, I guess. GD

Day to day things in the realm of medicine in Canada come under the purview of the individual provinces. The Fed oversees it but it is administered by the province. Each province has its own health care program. The Feds provide some funding, as does the province. Funds come from taxation, so the more tax an individual pays, the more goes into healthcare. The ones who pay little or no taxes still get medicare. They are the ones that get "free health care." The rest of us pay for theirs.

Initially the system was funded by a three way split. The citizens paid premiums for a third, the provinces chipped in a third and the feds, another third. Before long though, the feds started cutting back on their share because the obvious place to cut spending was on health care. I mean, you can't be spending money on health care when you need it to pay for business class flights, limosine service, high dollar hotel rooms, international travel, favours for friends and all of the other pork that public officials can't help but snork down. At the same time, high level officials within the medical system overspend for everything and waste money everywhere. They are incompetent, just like many high level execs.
Taxes do, indeed, pay for health care and people who pay higher taxes do pay more; at least they pay more individually. However, if the taxes were not spent on health care, they would simply be spent on something else; possibly with less benefit. This is reflected in the federal budget. Although the feds fund a smaller percentage of the costs than before, the federal budget doesn't get reduced. Funds are simply reallocated. Also, a lot of those people who pay less taxes are those people who work 60 hour weeks building things and providing service to the fat cats. They aren't smart enough or, in some cases, dishonest enough to do less for more. They get hurt and get sick doing the work so they are sort of entitled. To the guy out there swinging a hammer or pouring concrete at minus 15, that guy twenty floors up, shuffling papers and talking on the phone, is just as much a parasite as the welfare bum in the park. GD

My son in law turned 18 in march, when he was still in high school. In april he went into diabetic shock and was rushed to the emergency room, he didn't know he was diabetic. He was in the hospital for five days. He was released with full blown diabetes, four shots a day. He was being raised by a single mom, and they took him off her insurance when he turned 18, (before Obama care). Two weeks later he go a bill for over 30,000$. The cost for insulin was about 500$ a month. So, the kid's still in high school owing all this money, by the time he was done done his credit was destroyed. He got he hospital to reduce the debt some, but when he married my daughter he was still in debt. He's a great hard working kid, and I helped him reestablish his credit, that's why i'm interested in an alternative to our system. Thank you to everyone who replied.