Health Care Part One

I really had no intention of writing about the health care system in Canada but I have received many requests to do so. Much of this is the result of a little article that was written about me and appeared in the Kansas City Star a week ago. So here goes. I don’t know if I will be dispelling or confirming the stories that get passed around America.

Here are some statistics comparing Canada and the US.

Canada/United States.
Longevity, 81.3/78.1.
Infant mortality per 1000 births, 4.5/6.9.
Nurses per 1000 people, 9.0/10.6.
Physicians per 1000 people, 2.2/2.4.
Per cent of gross domestic product spent on health care, 10.1%/16.0%.
This last category is important in that the US spends 16% of GDP without covering the entire population. Okay, that is out of the way. I will try to avoid dishing out numbers going forward.

I will start off telling you that this is simply our experience and I will not sugar coat anything. What I write here will include just the facts, positive, negative, or neutral.

We are in Ontario and fall under their provincial health care. I mention that because there are many variables from province to province and I will only be reporting on the one system. For example, other provinces cover optical and dental expenses that aren’t covered on Ontario.

We knew that we would not be covered until after we lived here for ninety days so we purchased interim coverage from Blue Cross. It has a high deductible but it only cost $500 for the full three months, but they had no concerns regarding pre-existing conditions. Obviously this is only for emergencies and for everyday medical expenses it would come out of pocket.

Shortly after arriving in Toronto Toni went to a nearby general practitioner who was taking new patients. Her sister had helped us find this doctor. This is one aspect that is different. You are free to go to any GP you prefer however they have caps on the number of patients they will accept and the majority of them are at their limit. I don’t know if the caps are government imposed or self imposed. If you don’t have a GP you can alternatively go to a walk in clinic and basically get your needs met. They also have lists of doctors who are accepting new patients and will help you connect with a practice. So, it sounds like a hurdle at first but it is easily overcome. The GPs are there. You just may have to go through an extra step to get one. There was some expense here as we are not yet covered. Toni paid $250 for the visit and consultation and prescription renewal. At the pharmacy she paid $12 total out of pocket for a drug that previously cost $10 for the copay in the States with her company provided insurance. This drug would have cost $35 in the US without insurance.

The next step was to get our Health Cards underway. I went to the local office for Health Canada. I showed them two pieces of identification, my lease to prove residency, and a one page form. They took my photograph and told me to expect my card in the mail the end of July, ninety days from the date of my lease. I was in and out of there in 15 or 20 minutes. Toni went in the next day and reported the same story.

Then last week Toni had something come up and opted for the walk in clinic. Here is her report that she posted on her Facebook status:

Been having a minor medical issue so thought I better get fixed: 9:30 am went to walk in clinic (no appointments), 9:40 saw Dr., 10:10 completed lab test, 10:30 filled Rx, 10:45 home. Total cost with Rx: $100, after Aug. 1 when I have provincial coverage, total cost: Free, except for $20 Rx that is not covered.

That is all there is to report for now.