I am sure that it sounds good to have universal heath care until you have to live it. I moved to Montreal Quebec from Flagstaff Arizona two years ago.
I am a diabetic and have to go and visit a doctor every 4 months for a checkup. When I first arrived I had to miss the first two visits because I was not working and did not qualify for health care. When I was able to find work and get a heath card, I went to the local hospital emergency room to get checked out immediately. I was in the emergency room for 18 hours, waiting to get in to see a doctor. When I was seen, I was placed on a bed out in the hallway and left for another 6 hours, while I waited for some test results.
I have been trying to find a “Family” (what people in the states consider a general practitioner) doctor since I moved here. I am on a waiting list and should be able to get a doctor in the next 5 years or so. Until that time every 4 months I have the privilege of going to the emergency room and waiting an average of 12 hours to be seen.
My wife’s Aunt who needs to have a knee replaced, has been on a waiting list for 2 years and will be receiving her knee in the next 6 months. Most Canadians who can afford it go across the border to Plattsburg New York, and pay to have the surgery done, so they can simply walk again.
The one thing that really annoys me is that I never get to see the same doctor twice. There are no personal relationships with the doctors, I can not ask them how their kids are, if they want to play golf on Friday, or anything else because they don’t care.
Another thing that is annoying is that many of the newer prescriptions are simply not carried here. I know that Prilosec, and Glucophage XL are not available here. I have also been told that many of the newer drugs will not be made available here because of funding. (The government sets the price that the drug companies can charge, so new drugs are not introduced because of this restriction.)
I would gladly move back to Flagstaff given the chance and take US heath care any day over what is offered here in Canada.
