In response to my post yesterday featuring actual Canadians talking about their single-payer healthcare system came this gem:And how much are your taxes?? And can you opt out of Canadian health care if you want to?? I’m paying $92/mo. for my husband’s and my health care and it is excellent. He has had several major surgeries and never waited or been denied coverage for them. Why are so many Canadian doctors practicing in the US?? I know several of them personally. And they would never go back to Canada! When you don’t know the difference, it’s easy to say what another country should do. No one is denied health care in the US, either. All you have to do is show up at your local Emergency Room!
So much Stupid™, so little time. It starts with taxes; Canadians pay somewhat higher rates, sure, but they get a whole lot more for their money. In fact, given the cost of the average family policy ($12,000), you can just as easily argue that they pay less in taxes plus insurance costs. In other words, it’s cheaper to live in Canada!
But we’ll get back to the tax question in a minute. The answer to number two, whether Canadians may “opt out” of the single-payer system, is that it’s a ridiculous question. Canadians can, and do, spend their own money on health care if they like. Occasionally, some of them get operations in the United States. Yet, no one stops a rich Medicare patient from going to India for surgery, either.
The fact that Canadians can afford to come south if they like reminds you that, again, it’s cheaper to live in Canada.
I’m paying $92/mo. for my husband’s and my health care and it is excellent.
Giving Anonymous’s veracity the benefit of the doubt, I’m glad she has such excellent, cheap coverage. Hopefully they won’t rescind the policy the instant she’s diagnosed with cancer. And where’s my excellent, cheap coverage? Oh, yeah — I have that preexisting condition.
Why are so many Canadian doctors practicing in the US??
Why are there so many Indian doctors practicing in the US? Because there’s a shortage of doctors in the US and plenty in Canada. Maybe you know some doctors who won’t go back to Canada, but my 93-year old grandmother doesn’t visit the US from New Brunswick because she has no health coverage here.
But this is where Anonymous really strikes out:
No one is denied health care in the US, either. All you have to do is show up at your local Emergency Room!
As it happens, I’ve already demolished this talking point. Briefly, the indigent care programs do not pay for you to see a doctor during office hours. An emergency room is the single most expensive way to deliver care — in this case, about five times as expensive. If you want to talk about taxes, THAT is a huge waste of taxpayer dollars. Universal coverage would be incredibly cheap by comparison.
