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"With my doctor’s support, I am on my second appeal to the company, and know your help -- especially if you are an Aetna customer -- will support my case and the case of other customers who are needlessly suffering in pain."
“Very leery” of going to a developing country like India or Thailand, which both draw so-called medical tourists, he ultimately chose to have his hip replaced in 2007 at a private hospital outside Brussels for $13,660. That price included not only a hip joint, made by Warsaw-based Zimmer Holdings, but also all doctors’ fees, operating room charges, crutches, medicine, a hospital room for five days, a week in rehab and a round-trip ticket from America. “We have the most expensive health care in the world, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best,” Mr. Shopenn said. “I’m kind of the poster child for that.”
I'll take the option of waiting 28 weeks against waiting years while fighting an outright denial anytime.
Exactly! So many American love to point to the wait times in Canada while ignoring this point. They also ignore that Americans often have longer wait times than Canadians.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnSoCal
My aunt from Ontario had her hip replacement done in Florida because she would have had to wait over 2 years to get it done in Ontario. My sister in British Columbia has been waiting over 18 months for a knee replacement and she still doesn't have a date for it scheduled. Meanwhile she can't walk.
So your aunt paid cash to have her hip replacement done in America instead of waiting for insurance to pay for it in BC? And how does that prove that Americans have better health insurance?
I heard that if the patients are paying out of their pockets, the wait time will be shorter in some provinces.
I've seen Americans coming to the Lower Mainland for their dental surgery, and eye surgery (lasik & cataract) done, perhaps quicker and much cheaper given our exchange rate.
Having lived in both countries, I'd rather have the Canadian system over the American. At least with Canada, I know I'm covered no matter what, unlike the U.S where you have millions with no coverage, and sometimes people getting kicked out of hospitals cause they have no $$ (I've seen this in real life, it's sad and pathetic). Sure, there's a waiting list, but if it's severe, you'll get treated right away. I've had family members who have had surgeries for heart, arteries, joints etc... and all got operated right away with the exception of one family member who needed hip surgery, he waited 6 months. Only 1 family member had to leave Canada for treatment for her Lyme disease, she's in Mexico cause not even the "great U.S.A" has anything for Lyme. So yeah, Canada has flaws, but at least I know I'll get covered rather than the American system which is a for profit system only. One last thing, for walk in clinics, with no appointments, I waited longer under Obama care (3 days) than in Canada (6H).
We have Canadian friends that come to the US to get quicker/better medical treatment and we sometimes pick up pharmaceuticals available/cheaper in Canada when we see them and vice versa. I worked for a Canadian company and spent time in Canada and had one exposure to the Canadian health system in Vancouver and was very unimpressed and had to drive back to Seattle to get proper treatment.
i'm not going to say the Canadian system isn't great, it might be and it's certainly much cheaper, but my very minimal experience was bad and our Canadian friends complain about their system.
We have Canadian friends that come to the US to get quicker/better medical treatment and we sometimes pick up pharmaceuticals available/cheaper in Canada when we see them and vice versa. I worked for a Canadian company and spent time in Canada and had one exposure to the Canadian health system in Vancouver and was very unimpressed and had to drive back to Seattle to get proper treatment.
i'm not going to say the Canadian system isn't great, it might be and it's certainly much cheaper, but my very minimal experience was bad and our Canadian friends complain about their system.
What do they come to the US for? It sounds like they come regularly which I find odd and expensive.
Better care? I don't buy it. Canada healthcare quality is of a very high standard. Our outcomes prove that.
Your ONE exposure to a vast healthcare system isn't worth much in evaluating the system.
Curious though, what is " proper treatment " that seemed to be lacking in Vancouver??
I have lived all of my 58 years in Canada, and Vancouver specifically. I know no one, nor have I heard of anyone I know who knows of anyone going to the US for care.
Your friends are rare birds indeed. In fact, even the Fraser Institute a Koch Bros funded right wing think tank which HATES UHC, uses the number of 52,000 Canadians a year using US healthcare....which includes snowbirds and tourists who get ill. 52,000 out of 36,000,000 is nothing. So your story about your friends, is not indicative of much.
A question to you Canadians. I was talking to a friend about the whole health care debacle we have going on and I said I wanted something like Europe has and he responded by saying "It may be free, but people have to wait a long time to get treatment and people in Canada will come to the U.S so they can get something they need done faster". Just curious if that really happens?
Yes. I know someone who got too stressed out waiting her turn for heart surgery--a wait of at least 6 months (they judged it non-emergency), I don't remember, exactly. So she crossed the border from Vancouver, and paid cash for it. Most people can't afford to do that, though. But the hospital in Blaine, WA, does get a share of Canadian customers, mostly for less costly procedures, but still...
"With my doctor’s support, I am on my second appeal to the company, and know your help -- especially if you are an Aetna customer -- will support my case and the case of other customers who are needlessly suffering in pain."
“Very leery” of going to a developing country like India or Thailand, which both draw so-called medical tourists, he ultimately chose to have his hip replaced in 2007 at a private hospital outside Brussels for $13,660. That price included not only a hip joint, made by Warsaw-based Zimmer Holdings, but also all doctors’ fees, operating room charges, crutches, medicine, a hospital room for five days, a week in rehab and a round-trip ticket from America. “We have the most expensive health care in the world, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best,” Mr. Shopenn said. “I’m kind of the poster child for that.”
The internet is literally rife with sites that tell you how to appeal a denial of claim.. WTF?
I'll take the option of waiting 28 weeks against waiting years while fighting an outright denial anytime.
There are several women in my town who flew to Belgium for thyroid diagnosis and treatment, and are thrilled with the thyroid med they were given (not available in the US). Belgium apparently has good thyroid doctors. The US insurance system limits thyroid testing, so many patients go undiagnosed. And I guess Belgium's health care system is much more affordable than the US'.
There are several women in my town who flew to Belgium for thyroid diagnosis and treatment, and are thrilled with the thyroid med they were given (not available in the US). Belgium apparently has good thyroid doctors. The US insurance system limits thyroid testing, so many patients go undiagnosed. And I guess Belgium's health care system is much more affordable than the US'.
All of this to and fro over whose is best is wasted energy. Both countries must constantly strive to improve or the world leaves us in it's dust. There is certainly room for improvement in Canada as well as the U.S.
The only problem I identify (as do many Canadians) is Canada always being mentioned in negative fashion by American big Pharma and Medical lobbyists and those legislators beholden to them. That trickles into every Americans living room and some of them believe the nonsense they're fed to repeat it on boards such as these.
No Canadian would sacrifice our system for one such as America's. That is not to say we can be complacent and lax in our observance of Provincial and Federal tinkering to cut costs at the expense of services rendered.
All of this to and fro over whose is best is wasted energy. Both countries must constantly strive to improve or the world leaves us in it's dust. There is certainly room for improvement in Canada as well as the U.S.
The only problem I identify (as do many Canadians) is Canada always being mentioned in negative fashion by American big Pharma and Medical lobbyists and those legislators beholden to them. That trickles into every Americans living room and some of them believe the nonsense they're fed to repeat it on boards such as these.
No Canadian would sacrifice our system for one such as America's. That is not to say we can be complacent and lax in our observance of Provincial and Federal tinkering to cut costs at the expense of services rendered.
It's even more frustrating when you confront them with the truth and they think you're lying. I truly think some have images of Soviet Style buildings with mean staff denying care to those who need it.
The undying myth that Canadians are flocking to the US for care is another one that even when presented with actual numbers, still gets told as fact, as this thread shows.
However in my experience in real life face to face talks with Americans, the tone and questions about our system has changed. I used to get " so I hear you have to wait 3 years to see a doctor ".
A couple of weeks ago when I was in the US, the questions ( and I didn't bring up the topic ) were more like
" so how does your system work" " I'm want to retire early but can't because of my health insurance I get through work. What do you guys do in Canada? "
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