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My "Out of Province" healthcare is covered through my Defined Pension Plan and is covered by an American Insurance underwriter that states very clearly in the literature that should I become seriously ill but can be stabilized, I will be flown home on a med flight with medical attendant accompaniment.
Cheaper and safer then running the risk of being long term hospitalized in the U.S.
Have attended many seminars prior to our retirement where Sun Life, Manulife, Mutual and Blue Cross, to name a few, stated the same thing to it's members.
Another impression people also seem like to give is that care is BETTER in the US. Not so much. There will be lots of stories on both sides of good and bad care. In my father's case...misdiagnosed in Palm Springs, flown home on a air ambulance etc. However passed anyway. He had very good insurance.
Hmmm. You may not meant to have, but you did. Mentioning your wife " spectacular " care at U of W, then in the same breath mentioning the apparent ( unproven ) lack of equipment in BC is basically saying that care must be " lesser " in BC.
Passive agressive as it were.
No, no, stop and think.....my wife received spectacular care which means someone on Medicaid treated in the same structure would have received the same care so that was a jab at the over-exaggerated horror stories about uncovered patients int he US.
About the disparity of equipment between WA and BC mentioned by that health care specialist...I take him at face value, he works in the industry (you and I do not) I have no reason to not believe him.
I hope you do not want to deny that among the (real and perceived) disadvantages of the US health care system, one of the areas that is undeniably superior is equipment and technology availability.
Another impression people also seem like to give is that care is BETTER in the US. Not so much. There will be lots of stories on both sides of good and bad care. In my father's case...misdiagnosed in Palm Springs, flown home on a air ambulance etc. However passed anyway. He had very good insurance.
Do not confuse misdiagnosis which can happen anywhere and general quality and access to care which is different.
An acquaintance in Italy got misdiagnosed in what is probably one of the top 3 or 4 cancer treatment center center in the world (in France and where even rich Americans go for treatment) with unreal amount of technology and service level. The best Italian counterpart looked medieval in comparison.
I have a fairly good family doctor, however the queues to specialist doctors are so long... When I needed one, I had to wait 10 months. In Israel it took me 2 days to get an appointment to such doctor, in Thailand - 1 hour. In Canada - 10 months, and there is no way to go privately.
Canada may be quite well be more European than you realize: your French heritage and a large part of the population speaking French today, your healthcare system, socialism, anti-gun laws, and low crime rates resemble Europe more than the US.
And you're still under the British crown even today, aren't you?
Under suggest there is some power the Britain has over Canada. There isn't.
French outside of Quebec, parts of Ontario and New Brunswick, is not widely spoken. Yes it's our official second language and you do see it on all packaging, but in Vancouver, Cantonese would be more helpful.
I sort of understand what you mean by Canada being more European, and a friend from France did comment that he felt, at least life in Vancouver, felt more European than Atlanta where he just was. Not sure exactly what he meant by that, but to me it is attitudes.
Canadians on a whole are pretty easy going. Europeans seem to be...in some places. However things are changing and I can't help feeling Canada is going in a different direction than Europe socially.
Canada's geography also makes it so unlike Europe to govern and how the people live. People in Europe I find still really don't understand how big the country is especially in relation to it's population.
So in the end, let's just say Canada is Canada. Other countries get to, why not us?
No, no, stop and think.....my wife received spectacular care which means someone on Medicaid treated in the same structure would have received the same care so that was a jab at the over-exaggerated horror stories about uncovered patients int he US.
About the disparity of equipment between WA and BC mentioned by that health care specialist...I take him at face value, he works in the industry (you and I do not) I have no reason to not believe him.
I hope you do not want to deny that among the (real and perceived) disadvantages of the US health care system, one of the areas that is undeniably superior is equipment and technology availability.
I think I'll just let others read the posts and come to their own conclusions about what you are saying or trying to say.
However, talking to ONE person about " some equipment " etc, a person who does not work in BC, is not what I call being on solid ground. Stats are needed.
I sort of understand what you mean by Canada being more European, and a friend from France did comment that he felt, at least life in Vancouver, felt more European than Atlanta where he just was. Not sure exactly what he meant by that, but to me it is attitudes.
I totally agree with your friend (Vancouver-Atlanta comparison) and is easy to understand why.....more recent European immigration and less sprawl (more people living in condos), less obesity, etc... But to me Vancouver feel more as an Asian city than an European city.
Do not confuse misdiagnosis which can happen anywhere and general quality and access to care which is different.
An acquaintance in Italy got misdiagnosed in what is probably one of the top 3 or 4 cancer treatment center center in the world (in France and where even rich Americans go for treatment) with unreal amount of technology and service level. The best Italian counterpart looked medieval in comparison.
I haven't confused the two. My point was exactly that. That mistakes happen in every system, and just because you are in the US doesn't guarantee better care. It really depends what issues you have. Canada does do better in some areas, the US in others.
However in my story I will point out, that ACCESS to care for everyone is better in Canada than the US. I will also point out, that if my father did not have good insurance, that access to care would be very financially painful indeed.
I totally agree with your friend (Vancouver-Atlanta comparison) and is easy to understand why.....more recent European immigration and less sprawl (more people living in condos), less obesity, etc... But to me Vancouver feel more as an Asian city than an European city.
I think I'll just let others read the posts and come to their own conclusions about what you are saying or trying to say.
However, talking to ONE person about " some equipment " etc, a person who does not work in BC, is not what I call being on solid ground. Stats are needed.
Let me give you a personal anecdote....me and my friend in Vancouver, exactly the same surgery (relatively minor, not life threatening).
I git mine done in less than one week, my friend in Vancouver waited 3-4 months.
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