|
|
| Subject: Medicare and Permanent Residents |
|
|
|
It seems to me Canada is very generous in providing full, no-charge medical coverage for its settled immigrants. I know of few other countries in the world that do so. Ireland has an income means test for its citizens and EU nationals, and non-EU immgrants generally don´t qualify at all. The U.S. medical system is a disaster in terms of coverage and cost. Most of the EU countries and Iceland require full citizenship to qualify. Only the U.K. provides national healthcare for citizens and legal immigrants alike.
I wonder if anyone knows of any other countries providing immigrants with national health care.
[23-03-2006,15:24]
[***.131.12.0]
Richard |
|
(in reply to: Medicare and Permanent Residents)
I suppose you have to look at the quality of the health care. Most people on the NHS in England have an awful time with long waits to see a dr etc etc plus the overall quality is not that good. The NHS are always short on money etc but make no wonder they give out health coverage to everyone that goes to England for fear they will discriminate. It really is an awful situation, despite what the government says about tightening up. Canada on the other hand puts England to shame both on who qualifies and the quality of care. It´s a shame but I won´t look back at England once I land this friday for I know that if i get sick i will be well looked after subject to the 3 month wait of course - but hey I´m not complaining. Afraid I can´t comment on any of the other health care systems.
[23-03-2006,16:18]
[**.252.196.208]
now me |
(in reply to: Medicare and Permanent Residents)
Nothing is free in this world, and although it seems like the medical care in Canada is free, it is not. We support these programs with our taxes, and if you were to look at the taxes in the States vs. Canada, you will see the large difference.
What is important is to realize that nothing is free. The cost is just taken from your taxes. I´d rather pay higher taxes to know that if my family got sick, I could receive the proper medical service (not always as fast as I want) but still quality service.
waiting and waiting
[23-03-2006,16:29]
[**.116.200.10]
waiting and waiting |
(in reply to: Medicare and Permanent Residents)
It is true nothing is free, however in England we pay outrageous taxes and the worst thing is that not that much gets filtered to the hospitals - I would only be too willing to pay a higher tax if that money was guaranteed to go to hospitals etc and not just lining politicians pockets etc.
now me
really must finish off packing!!
[23-03-2006,16:48]
[**.252.196.208]
now me |
(in reply to: Medicare and Permanent Residents)
I agree with both of you. I´d rather pay a bit more in taxes and know that if I get booted out of my job and land on the street, medical problems won´t make me destitute. As questionalble as NHS may be, I´d still take it. The Labor Party has improved the system and come a long way in reducing waiting lists that existed under the prior Conservative government.
As far as what´s free or not, the U.S. private system is the most costly with 25% taken purely by the insurance industry, which contributes nothing to patient health or medical advances. Insurance paperwork, administration, and bureaucracy puts any government system to shame. And we all know the outrageous price of drugs in the U.S. - highest in the world as the pharmaceutical industry is in bed with the current regime.
Canadians basically flash their Medicare card at any facility and they´re fairly well taken care of. So I´ll take a modest national system over the excesses, overhead, and exclusivity of a private one.
[23-03-2006,17:14]
[***.131.12.0]
Richard |
Medicare and Permanent Residents (in reply to: Medicare and Permanent Residents)
Me, too, Richard. I´m covered for health care in the US but even for the insured it stinks, with higher and higher fees and allowing visits to physicians of one to two minutes if you´re lucky, because they are under intense pressure by the managed care corporations to see patients on an assembly line as quickly as possible. The last physician I saw interviewed me while I was undressing and putting on an examination gown. Sitting down with you and talking with you person to person? Forget it. I do have one physician who actually sits down and talks with me, but it´s his own practice. Most US docs are in group practice and under intense corporate pressure to "process" you out of the office as quickly as possible so that the insurance company makes the most profit. If you´re poor and uninsured, or not so poor and uninsured in the US you very often have to choose between food for you and your kids or over-priced prescription drugs, and of course people without health care often die from lack of proper medical care, like those in third world countries. Our corporate controlled media often criticize the Canadian health system, but this is done in the service of manipulating people to accept our patently inferior health model and keep the insurance companies rich and our politicians´ pockets swollen with
tainted cash. In the US our capitalist, individualistic system has made everyone think only of her/his own welfare; selfishness has become a virtue, as witness the current political party in power; in Canada, on the other hand, the atmosphere is more of a sense of community, that as human beings all of us are intrinsically connected to one another,
and that if one person (or animal!) suffers, all of us are touched in some way, a way of thinking and feeling certainly exemplified by her universal health care system which does not discriminate between the haves and the have nots, or as our President remarked, the have mores.
[23-03-2006,18:29]
[**.213.114.164]
Bob |
(in reply to: Medicare and Permanent Residents)
It´s funny. I come from the States, and everyone told me that one of the negatives to applying in Canada is no healthcare until AIP. Well, I only had health insurance for about a year when I had a full-time temp job with the government. Without a job with insurance benefits or assistance from the government (disability, etc.), it´s out of reach of a lot of people.
At least Canada does get it on some level. There is work to be done, but we´re way above a lot of countries. I´m grateful to be moving here!
[23-03-2006,19:02]
[**.70.95.204]
gentlespirit512 |
(in reply to: Medicare and Permanent Residents)
you know gentle,
I´ve seen ads on American t.v. which show how slow the Canadian medical system is, the waiting lines etc..I´ve even had people from the states ask how long it takes to see a doctor. Although everyone´s story is different, being in the system all of my life, I know that no one mortgages their home if a family member gets cancer. I know that our system isn´t perfect, but it provides for everyone no matter the age, culture, or income. It´s one thing that makes Canada strong.
waiting and waiting
[24-03-2006,13:12]
[**.116.200.10]
waiting and waiting |
(in reply to: Medicare and Permanent Residents)
Bob and all, you have it exactly right. I´m glad I´m not the only one seeing it this way.
[24-03-2006,20:04]
[**.53.231.75]
Richard |
(in reply to: Medicare and Permanent Residents)
Australia and New Zealand have full service medicare like Canada.
[26-03-2006,05:04]
[***.247.235.10]
Anonymous |
|
