Health Care in Canada

Canada's care plan only covers the basics. You're still on your own for any extras, including prescription drugs. And you still have to pay for it. True -- but not as big an issue as you might think. The province does charge a small monthly premium (ours is $108/month for a family of four) for the basic coverage. However, most people never even have to write that check: almost all employers pick up the tab for their employees' premiums as part of the standard benefits package; and the province covers it for people on public assistance or disability.

"The basics" covered by this plan include 100% of all doctor's fees, ambulance fares, tests, and everything that happens in a hospital -- in other words, the really big-ticket items that routinely drive American families into bankruptcy. In BC, it doesn't include "extras" like medical equipment, prescriptions, physical therapy or chiropractic care, dental, vision, and so on; and if you want a private or semi-private room with TV and phone, that costs extra (about what you'd pay for a room in a middling hotel).

I prefer my insurance which does cover prescriptions, physical therapy, dental and vision. My insurance also covered the private room I had when I was in the hospital. So my family would lose out under the Canadian plan. I'll stick with what we currently have thank you.

That other stuff does add up; but it's far easier to afford if you're not having to cover the big expenses, too. Furthermore: you can deduct any out-of-pocket health expenses you do have to pay off your income taxes. And, as every American knows by now, drugs aren't nearly as expensive here, either.

Filling the gap between the basics and the extras is the job of the country's remaining private health insurers. Since they're off the hook for the ruinously expensive big-ticket items that can put their own profits at risk, the insurance companies make a tidy business out of offering inexpensive policies that cover all those smaller, more predictable expenses. Top-quality add-on policies typically run in the ballpark of $75 per person in a family per month -- about $300 for a family of four -- if you're stuck buying an individual plan. Group plans are cheap enough that even small employers can afford to offer them as a routine benefit. An average working Canadian with employer-paid basic care and supplemental insurance gets free coverage equal to the best policies now only offered at a few of America's largest corporations. And that employer is probably only paying a couple hundred dollars a month to provide that benefit.

OK, I am confused here. The writer was saying one of the big advantages was doctors only had to deal with one insurance company; but it looks as if that is false as people have to have private insurance to cover the extras.

Isn't the system in bad financial shape?
Yes, the provincial plans are always struggling. So is every single publicly-funded health care system in the world, including the VA and Medicare.

Which is why I wouldn't want to be at the mercy of either VA or Medicare.

There's always tension between what the users of the system want, and what the taxpayers are willing to pay. The balance of power ebbs and flows between them; but no matter where it lies at any given moment, at least one of the pair is always going to be at least somewhat unhappy.

But, as many of us know all too well, there's also constant tension between what patients want and what private insurers are willing to pay. At least when it's in government hands, we can demand some accountability. And my experience in Canada has convinced me that this accountability is what makes all the difference between the two systems.

It is true that Canada's system is not the same as the U.S. system. It's designed to deliver a somewhat different product, to a population that has somewhat different expectations.

I expect to see a doctor whenever I need to, so far my private insurance has delivered this. My wait time has never been more then one week. I also expect to have whatever medical care my doctor deems medically necessary within a reasonable amount of time. So far my private insurance has delivered this too. It would be interesting to know how Canadians expectations differ.

The annual Canadian tax bite runs about 10% higher than our U.S. taxes did.


I don't want to pay higher taxes and unlike the writer of this article I wouldn't have higher insurance payments to offset it. This would be a losing proposition for my family. From what I have read here the current system works better for me.

Read the complete post here.

HT O'Donnell Web

I'll take a look at Part II tomorrow