Wow - very interesting times south of the border I guess.
I've been asked several times by some of my American colleagues about how 'Canadian' health care works and is it true that your taxes go way up and you have to wait a long time to see a doctor etc etc.
SO, let me set the record straight here for you all. This is based ONLY on my personal experience in Ontario and it in no way means that this is going to be indicative of health care across Canada (although I would hope it would be representative)
1. If I have a cough, cold, or other mysterious ailment, I simply book an appointment to see my doctor and I get a prescription or referral to another doctor or get additional diagnostics done (such as blood work or xray). For most things, you can get it done right away without waiting at a local clinic and there is no charge. Just swipe your health card (since you already pay your taxes on it anyways but there is no direct deduction - its just part of your total deductions as far as I know). This happens whether you are employed or not.
2. If you have something BIG (say a stroke), you get taken to an ER nearby and get all the work, stay in the hospital etc and you are covered - again whether or not you have a job or are retired or whatever.
3. If you have something like Cancer, you get a referral to another doctor / specialist. You MAY have to wait for diagnostic to confirm your condition, but depending on where it is, you can also get bumped up. There ARE also private clinics starting to pop up for things like this in larger cities.
So, bottom line - yes we may pay more in taxes, but is your health and welfare of you and / or your family worth something? I know that if I get really sick (stroke, cancer other life threatening illness), or my kids have something that is ongoing, I won't have to mortgage my house to pay for the healthcare.
That's the upside.
The downside is that there are many things NOT covered anymore (which used to be covered) and the doctors and nurses are frequently fighting with the government for more funding. Wait times in ER's can sometimes be long (for non life threatening issues), and lots of new residents have a hard time finding a family doctor.
There may be more issues.
Now - can one of you please explain to me why the US has a debt ceiling that needs to always be legislated? I mean let's say they raise it again (likely from my point of view compared to the alternative) - what is the plan to get spending under control and start paying it back? Or how will you raise revenues without raising taxes? (BTW, one big difference between countries is if I win the lottery, I do NOT get taxed on it. Nor would I get taxed if I won a big payday in a casino for example).
I also find it very interesting that the politics are SO polarized in the US - here because we essentially have 3 main parties (although there is the Parti Quebecois in Quebec and another party in Alberta that escapes me now), people are not as loyal to anyone particular party that I can see. Many will simply vote for the 'other guy' if the guy in power pisses them off. Its quite an interesting dynamic in my opinion
I do think that the fact the folks working in the govt south of the border who aren't getting paid is a bit of sad statement and it is only hurting the people who are average folks that need those funds to pay for their houses, cars, yes - but what about their families and kids who need books, food and clothes? What do you do then? At the end of the day BOTH sides of the political spectrum need to set aside their differences, sit down and talk it out until they figure out a compromise that works for everyone.
Again, the above is just MY opinion and how I see it from the perspective of the Great White North
