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Could you bring yourself to come back to the topic here ?
,
The subject is the idea of a Canadian citizen moving back to Canada, to retire, and the process to do that.
Your tangent about the US medical system is off topic.
You are badly missing the point. Those articles refer to those not retired...less than 65.
There appears to be very little difference for a retiree in the US and Canada. Any older person in the US who would be pauperized by his portion of health care costs can obtain medicaid which covers it all. I and my wife use plan F which effectively covers everything except drugs. She is a Canadian who could return but won't as the Canadian system offers no benefit to her.
And that is the interesting question. Would one return to Canada for health care after retirement? I expect there may be some set of conditions where it might make sense but not very common. So the question was OP gaining much by returning to Canada upon retirement.
Could you bring yourself to come back to the topic here ?
,
The subject is the idea of a Canadian citizen moving back to Canada, to retire, and the process to do that.
Your tangent about the US medical system is off topic.
xxx.
Medical is a valid concern for many considering where to live...
That is hogwash. medi-cal is available to people on limited incomes who have no insurance. My old pal, got dx with cancer in her 50's she lived in her own home, in Daly City, she owned the home outright & was still able to qualify for Medi-cal, which paid for her radiation & chemo treatments.
Once you reach Medicare age, you can buy a supplement that pays for the stuff Medicare does not pay, so I do not see how you can "loose everything".
By all means move to Canada, if that is what you want, but saying you can't get affordable care in California, simply isn't true. There are also cheaper places to live, than San Francisco.
Maybe they get better mental health there, judging from this thread.
This post is a little food for thought for Mapleguy.
It's interesting you consider healthcare a basic human right. How about food or the right to not endure hunger? How about the right to have adequate shelter? How about the right to have access to free cell phones, cellular service. and broadband internet access? Isn't it a human right to stay connected to the world, view report cards online, and be able to answer calls from prospective employers?
Canada sounds generous. And thank goodness you are because you'll likely see a deluge of world citizens arriving to claim their rightful life. Tell me, is there a weighting system whereby Canadians that have paid into the system for years and years are not stuck in line behind 20-30 people who have been there for a few months? If not, does that sound fair to you? Do politicians or people that politicians deem important get preferential treatment with regard to health care? Would you even know if they did?
I find it amusing the OP is looking for a way to minimize his 401k tax liability while relying on relatively steep taxation of other people to support free universal healthcare. It sounds to me like people are being taken advantage of. I mean, I'm OK with it if you are, but sooner or later, there will be more takers than contributors, and some pragmatic changes will have to be made. The US social security system is in the same situation.
Setting aside your straw man argument about cell phones and internet services....
Yes health care in Canada is seen as a basic right.
About "world citizens " coming to Canada ? You do know that we have a stringent Immigration policy, so we are not going to be swamped . In order to be granted Permanent Resident status in Canada, a person must meet our standards. At least a 4 year University degree, with at least 4 years of directly connected employment, and the financial ability to support themselves in Canada for two years after arrival. In addition, a clean criminal record, be able to pass the medical examination ,and have an offer of employment from a Canadian employer.
The application process is about 2 years from application to approval.
You don't seem to understand that unlike the USA, every one in Canada is contributing to the cost of providing the money to fund health care, through their taxes. Even those who are low wage earners are contributing when they buy goods that are taxed, like gasoline, tobacco, alcohol and the like. The only way that the system is going fail is if everyone in Canada stops working, or buying things that are taxed.
Lets be clear. We like our system, it works for us. And a Canadian is still a citizen, regardless of where they may have lived for a part of their life.
9-8 weeks wait for an appointment with a specialist? I'll take it! You know how long I have to wait for an appointment with my pulmonary specialist at the Cleveland Clinic? I can't even call to make an appointment for the next time I need to see her which is once a year. They won't even start scheduling appointments until 4-6 months out. Then it's often another 2-3 months to actually get in to see her. My year and a half checkups and lung function testing actually doesn't take place until after 14-16 months.
If there is an emergency, you don't get to see your regular doctor but rather a resident.
This is not uncommon in my past experience at other clinics as well.
And, yes, Canada is awesome even when you get sick. My BIL has been treated for a very rare form of Cancer at his Canadian health care facility and has been in remission for around ten years.
Often there are medical procedures of which one clinic in one country may have better knowledge. that's not to disparage the country that isn't as knowledgeable, it's just like it would be in the US where some medical facilities specialize in treatment of some illnesses more than others. That's not to say one is better than the other. Same thing would apply to going overseas to a clinic that specializes in the illness in question.
BTW, my BIL who lives in Toronto had a very rare form of Cancer which was successfully treated by Canadian physicians. Ten years later he is Cancer free.
A couple of points re appointments here in Toronto, to see a specialist.
My Wife and I have been patients of the Family Practice unit at Women's College hospital for over 10 years, She is 73 and I am 70. Both of us have the usual medical problems of the typical elderly person.
I have a long standing colitis condition that requires a colonoscopy once a year due to family history and my own inherent problems. My gastro guy has me in the appointment computer for the next appointment on the day that I have my yearly procedure done. That a common practice here. My Family Practice MD books my next appointment to see him, before I leave the clinic.
If my Wife needs to see her MD, who is also at the Family Practice unit, she can call today and see her tomorrow. And the appointments are scheduled for 30 minutes, for each patient. The FPC is directly across the street from the hospital. If I need a lab test, my MD calls the lab and sends the request by email and I walk over and get it done in a few minutes.
Women's College is a ambulatory care facility, that has every type of medical service that you can name.......BUT it doesn't have any in patient beds. The Toronto General Hospital is a 800 bed facility that is 2 blocks away. WCH has a motto.....We are the Hospital that keeps you OUT of the Hospital. By prevention and proactive treatment.
Directly across the street from Toronto General is Sick Kid's Hospital, and right across University Avenue is Princess Margaret's Cancer Treatment centre, and next door is Mount Sinai. And the Toronto Rehabilitation Centre is next to Mount Sinai. ALL of them plus 12 other Toronto Hospitals are connected as a part of the University of Toronto health network. They all have a common patient computer information network. ALL of the treatment records, and lab reports are done electronically, and a MD can dictate notes by computer software. No more x ray films, now its all computer generated.
It is perfect ? No but it is a few miles ahead of other places.
A final point. In our system, a patient gets no bill upon treatment at the clinic or as a inpatient. The University of Toronto hospital system buys huge amounts of equipment, supplies and food, and as a result they get better prices and better services from suppliers. They have their own fleet of trucks and warehouses to store inventory. They also operate their own private bus system, to move staff around the downtown core of the city.
A couple of points re appointments here in Toronto, to see a specialist.
My Wife and I have been patients of the Family Practice unit at Women's College hospital for over 10 years, She is 73 and I am 70. Both of us have the usual medical problems of the typical elderly person.
I have a long standing colitis condition that requires a colonoscopy once a year due to family history and my own inherent problems. My gastro guy has me in the appointment computer for the next appointment on the day that I have my yearly procedure done. That a common practice here. My Family Practice MD books my next appointment to see him, before I leave the clinic.
If my Wife needs to see her MD, who is also at the Family Practice unit, she can call today and see her tomorrow. And the appointments are scheduled for 30 minutes, for each patient. The FPC is directly across the street from the hospital. If I need a lab test, my MD calls the lab and sends the request by email and I walk over and get it done in a few minutes.
Women's College is a ambulatory care facility, that has every type of medical service that you can name.......BUT it doesn't have any in patient beds. The Toronto General Hospital is a 800 bed facility that is 2 blocks away. WCH has a motto.....We are the Hospital that keeps you OUT of the Hospital. By prevention and proactive treatment.
Directly across the street from Toronto General is Sick Kid's Hospital, and right across University Avenue is Princess Margaret's Cancer Treatment centre, and next door is Mount Sinai. And the Toronto Rehabilitation Centre is next to Mount Sinai. ALL of them plus 12 other Toronto Hospitals are connected as a part of the University of Toronto health network. They all have a common patient computer information network. ALL of the treatment records, and lab reports are done electronically, and a MD can dictate notes by computer software. No more x ray films, now its all computer generated.
It is perfect ? No but it is a few miles ahead of other places.
A final point. In our system, a patient gets no bill upon treatment at the clinic or as a inpatient. The University of Toronto hospital system buys huge amounts of equipment, supplies and food, and as a result they get better prices and better services from suppliers. They have their own fleet of trucks and warehouses to store inventory. They also operate their own private bus system, to move staff around the downtown core of the city.
xxx.
But what happens if you are in Easton, Sask?
the point I was and am still making is that I do not see the distinction OP was drawing...that Canada provides a better health care product for retirees. I think it undoubtedly true that Canada maintains a better system for those not retired...but I too am in my 70s as is my Canadian/American wife. Our major complaint would be about the cost of drugs, primarily for me, everything else is fully covered with Medicare and a supplemental plan. She actually does much better than I as I have had a significant set of chronic health complaints including one with very large annual cost.
One might argue that we still pay a not insubstantial amount for our supplement plans which is true. But the low income can escape all that and it is certain not a catastrophic sum. So I am simply questioning whether relocation at retirement to avoid catastrophic financial risks makes any sense. Relocating to Canada in and of itself can be a perfectly reasonable thing. It is the particular rationale that I am questioning.
I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this conversation, both the pros and the cons regarding my original post. I'm taking notes, as this is truly educational.
I see stories in the news every week about hardworking Americans who simply cannot afford healthcare, either treatments or the monthly premiums, and I fear that getting worse, but I also fear that the elderly could suffer in Canada if the system becomes overloaded and strained.
In the end it may come down to this, 'Do I want to face another god-damned Canadian winter?'
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