Interesting to read. Up in Canada, our system is much different. Money wise. If you're over 65 like I am, all the health stuff is free. Even drugs. But the US dollar is worth $1.36 to one of our bucks.
I'm in my 4th year of a cancer recovery (search for cancer on my Substack home page if you'd like to know the story about that). It didn't cost me a penny out of pocket. Including a serious 3 hour surgery, recovery, follow-up visits with a care nurse, and a daily pill (Tamoxifen). Happy to be all OK now!
Glad to hear you are in recovery and okay. I always heard that people from Canada came to the U.S. to get their serious healthcare needs because we were cheaper. And you wouldn't have to wait months or years for service. Maybe that is for people younger than 65.
That comes as a shocker to me that you don't have to pay anything.
Some people go to the States because the system here has a backlog for cosmetic and not life threatening operations (like hip replacements). So if we want to pay a few grand, we can usually pay for skipping the queue here. The serious stuff gets taken care of almost immediately. Heart and Cancer problems are priority. Some provinces charge $100/month if you are under 65 and working for the Priority Care option.
I have A LOT of thoughts about our healthcare system here in the US (and they're not complimentary.) I was grateful when the Affordable Care Act passed, because they based the premiums on my income, expenses, dependents, etc. It was...affordable. We should have universal healthcare and I support the folks who want to make it happen (among other important changes that I believe in.)
I agree that something needs to change with our healthcare system. There are too many people who cannot afford the prices of services, follow-up doctor appointments, and medications.
I'm glad that the Affordable Care Act was affordable for you. But I've heard a lot of horror stories from people who found out the hard way after they signed up. People thought they were going to be paying a low monthly payment and when they needed to go to the hospital or see their doctor, they were surprised at what their deductible was. Paying a monthly fee and then having to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket before the rest of the "affordable" care act kicked in was a punch in the gut to these people.
Interesting to read. Up in Canada, our system is much different. Money wise. If you're over 65 like I am, all the health stuff is free. Even drugs. But the US dollar is worth $1.36 to one of our bucks.
I'm in my 4th year of a cancer recovery (search for cancer on my Substack home page if you'd like to know the story about that). It didn't cost me a penny out of pocket. Including a serious 3 hour surgery, recovery, follow-up visits with a care nurse, and a daily pill (Tamoxifen). Happy to be all OK now!
Glad to hear you are in recovery and okay. I always heard that people from Canada came to the U.S. to get their serious healthcare needs because we were cheaper. And you wouldn't have to wait months or years for service. Maybe that is for people younger than 65.
That comes as a shocker to me that you don't have to pay anything.
Some people go to the States because the system here has a backlog for cosmetic and not life threatening operations (like hip replacements). So if we want to pay a few grand, we can usually pay for skipping the queue here. The serious stuff gets taken care of almost immediately. Heart and Cancer problems are priority. Some provinces charge $100/month if you are under 65 and working for the Priority Care option.
I have A LOT of thoughts about our healthcare system here in the US (and they're not complimentary.) I was grateful when the Affordable Care Act passed, because they based the premiums on my income, expenses, dependents, etc. It was...affordable. We should have universal healthcare and I support the folks who want to make it happen (among other important changes that I believe in.)
I agree that something needs to change with our healthcare system. There are too many people who cannot afford the prices of services, follow-up doctor appointments, and medications.
I'm glad that the Affordable Care Act was affordable for you. But I've heard a lot of horror stories from people who found out the hard way after they signed up. People thought they were going to be paying a low monthly payment and when they needed to go to the hospital or see their doctor, they were surprised at what their deductible was. Paying a monthly fee and then having to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket before the rest of the "affordable" care act kicked in was a punch in the gut to these people.