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This is why we need to flight within states we're driving to Buffalo (just 1.5 hour).
Regarding travelling...I askquestion on California thread "where ppl going for vacation"... to my surprise majority never go outside the state at all! maximum to border state...
In Toronto area I don't know ANYONE (even who gets a minimum salary) who didn't go at least to Cuba, Dominican, Mexico and so on... personally , we are going abroad at least 2-3 times per year
What I always found when searching for vacations in Toronto was that the deals were always slanted towards resort based vacations (especially ALL-Inclusive) and the other options were always limited. So what I saw was many of my friends spending vacation time in Cuba, Mexico, DR, etc as you said. Now I do not want to insult anyones choice of travel, because we all travel for different reasons and with different objectives, but I personally (and my wife) absolutely hate All-Inclusive vacations and would never go on another one again.
What you will find is that people in progressive US cities will save to travel internationally to something more than a beach vacation, especially when living in California which has beautiful beaches for a fraction of the price. Why spend money to go to a beach when you have one right down the road from you? I would rather be in Asia, Europe or South America.
All of our friends here in Boston are very well traveled and the flights to Europe especially are very affordable, much more affordable than Toronto. We have traveled internationally to 6 different countries in the past year for a fraction of the price of what we would have paid leaving from Pearson.
As a recent Canadian (Ontario) transplant to the US (Texas) here is my two cents on the healthcare comparison.
Yes Canada has universal healthcare, and that means you do not need private insurance to pay for doctors, treatment, hospital stays etc. That means even the poorest person in the country has exactly the same coverage as the richest. This is a great advantage if you are at the lower end of the income scale. There is also no limit to the care you can receive, so again, if you have a serious illness that requires expensive care, you are covered. Keep in mind that most Canadians have supplemental private health care that covers costs over and above the bare minimum. (Drugs, semi-private hospital rooms etc.)
The catch with this system is you are covered IF you can get to see a doctor, or get access to the treatment. Waiting times are something that has been the focus of the Canadian medical world for the last 20 years. Critical cases get immediate attention, but fringe cases must wait a long time. In many cases these fringe cases can then develop into critical cases.
If you are in the group that would get company paid health insurance in the US, in my opinion, you are in a better situation. Yes you still pay a portion of your costs, but you have near immediate access to doctors and treatments that you need. One big gotcha is that most health plans have a lifetime ceiling for costs.
In Canada I was one of the 1 or 2 million Ontarions that did not have a family doctor. None of the doctors in my area were accepting new patients. When I got a kidney stone, I was admitted into emergency immediately and given morphne for the pain. (Good). The ER doctor referred me to a urologist and provided a week's worth of pain killers. (Good). Earliest appointment I could get at the urologist was in 1 month. (Bad) I ran out of pain killers within a week. Went back to emergency to get a refill, they said no. I would have to go to my family doctor. I don't have one. Too bad, get one. (Bad) I ended up back in emergency two more times on morphine for pain attacks. Got a pain killer refill for one week each time. This extra cost could have been avoided if I had enough pain killer to keep the pain down and avoid the critical attacks.
In the US, my wife recently had a problem. Got an appointment with a specialist for the next day based on a friend's recommendation. Was sent for an MRI the same day at a private clinic, not a hospital. The doctor had the results in 48 hours and was able to relieve fears of a more serious issue. She was treated and recovered within a week. There is no way you would see a specialist and schedule an MRI in that time frame in Canada unless you were brought into a hospital by ambulance. I just called up a GP yesterday and have an appointment for today. After 12 years I am finally going to get full preventive medical service again.
Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to point out that there is more to a health system than numbers and graphs, and whether or not the government is paying for it.
If you want to debate whether or not a universal health care system is good for a country as a whole, then you look at how it impacts all stratas of society. If you are looking at which heath care system is good for you as a person, then you get a lot more selfish and look at which system better fits your specific situation and standing within the various strata.
One last thought. Either way you pay for your medical coverage. Either by yourself, through your employer who adds in onto the price of the product he sells, or through the government who adds it onto your taxes.
Italked to many relatives/friends who live in States and no one has 100% coverage ...in best case they have 90% and paying from $200 to $800 per month to have those 90%. So if you have even simple surgery, you have to pay a lot out-of-pocket. Regular visit to doctor costs $15 etc.
I don't know where you lived in Ontario, we're new immigrants (from 1999) and right away without any problem got pretty good family doctor (in West Toronto)
In any case, if you don't want to wait for example for MRI, you may go to private clinics Toronto MRI Clinics for Private MRI Scans in Toronto
as you are right "most Canadians have supplemental private health care that covers costs over and above the bare minimum. (Drugs, semi-private hospital rooms etc.)" and also fexible money that you can put on your Health Spending Account
What I always found when searching for vacations in Toronto was that the deals were always slanted towards resort based vacations (especially ALL-Inclusive) and the other options were always limited. So what I saw was many of my friends spending vacation time in Cuba, Mexico, DR, etc as you said. Now I do not want to insult anyones choice of travel, because we all travel for different reasons and with different objectives, but I personally (and my wife) absolutely hate All-Inclusive vacations and would never go on another one again.
What you will find is that people in progressive US cities will save to travel internationally to something more than a beach vacation, especially when living in California which has beautiful beaches for a fraction of the price. Why spend money to go to a beach when you have one right down the road from you? I would rather be in Asia, Europe or South America.
All of our friends here in Boston are very well traveled and the flights to Europe especially are very affordable, much more affordable than Toronto. We have traveled internationally to 6 different countries in the past year for a fraction of the price of what we would have paid leaving from Pearson.
this is personal...we like All Inclusive vacations because we have small kids.
But also we're travelling to Europe, 2 years ago we went to Germany/Czech and Israel...next year planning to go to Barcelona...
You cannot compare cold Pacific ocean with sea/beaches at Cuba or Punta Cana. It's totally different experience. Every year were going to Cape Cod (Top Mast in North Truro) in summer, but always going to Caribbean in spring.
Italked to many relatives/friends who live in States and no one has 100% coverage ...in best case they have 90% and paying from $200 to $800 per month to have those 90%. So if you have even simple surgery, you have to pay a lot out-of-pocket. Regular visit to doctor costs $15 etc.
I don't know where you lived in Ontario, we're new immigrants (from 1999) and right away without any problem got pretty good family doctor (in West Toronto)
In any case, if you don't want to wait for example for MRI, you may go to private clinics Toronto MRI Clinics for Private MRI Scans in Toronto
as you are right "most Canadians have supplemental private health care that covers costs over and above the bare minimum. (Drugs, semi-private hospital rooms etc.)" and also fexible money that you can put on your Health Spending Account
Please get all the facts straight. Health plans down here are very confusing. We had a hard time trying to understand them all.
Yes, some plans cover up to a percentage of the cost. Other plans (such as what we have) have an up front co-pay system where you have a fixed cost for each service that you pay for. Yes we have a $20 co-pay for a trip to the doctor, and surgery will have a co-pay of $120. I have no problem with this approach. It means I will not be wasting the doctor's time with minor ailments, because it will cost me as well. The best way to make sure something is abused is to make it free.
If you got a family doctor as soon as you moved here, then you were very lucky. We lived in York region and it is very understaffed in terms of doctors per polulation. At one point my parents looked at movig in with us. They decided not to because they were afraid they would not be able to replace their doctors.
Regarding the private MRI clinic. Who pays for it?
Italked to many relatives/friends who live in States and no one has 100% coverage ...in best case they have 90% and paying from $200 to $800 per month to have those 90%. So if you have even simple surgery, you have to pay a lot out-of-pocket. Regular visit to doctor costs $15 etc.
Once again this is completely based on personal experience. My employer (the largest company in Mass, btw) pays our premiums 100%. Basic doctor vists are $15, but surgery and hospital overnights stays are covered 100% as well. My wifes plan is the exact same. My co-worker who just came back from Maternity Leave paid a total of $15 to have her baby, which was her 1st appointment with her OB/GYN, everything else was covered 100%.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MapleLeaf
this is personal...we like All Inclusive vacations because we have small kids.
But also we're travelling to Europe, 2 years ago we went to Germany/Czech and Israel...next year planning to go to Barcelona...
You cannot compare cold Pacific ocean with sea/beaches at Cuba or Punta Cana. It's totally different experience. Every year were going to Cape Cod (Top Mast in North Truro) in summer, but always going to Caribbean in spring.
As I said I was not trying to insult anyones choice of vacation, I am saying that it is not our preference. So based on our preference it is substantially cheaper to fly to Europe for example from Boston than Toronto. For example look for a flight in March to Barcelona from Toronto compared to Boston...the difference is $225 per ticket. That is money we could be spending on quite a few of the Michelin starred restaurants that Barcelona has to offer (You will love Barcelona, btw its our favorite city)
Maybe not the Pacific, but how about Florida and elsewhere in the Gulf. The water is just as warm and places like Siesta Key are very similar if not nicer than many Caribbean islands. Nothing against the Caribbean though it is where I am from.
Once again this is completely based on personal experience. My employer (the largest company in Mass, btw) pays our premiums 100%. Basic doctor vists are $15, but surgery and hospital overnights stays are covered 100% as well. My wifes plan is the exact same. My co-worker who just came back from Maternity Leave paid a total of $15 to have her baby, which was her 1st appointment with her OB/GYN, everything else was covered 100%.
As I said I was not trying to insult anyones choice of vacation, I am saying that it is not our preference. So based on our preference it is substantially cheaper to fly to Europe for example from Boston than Toronto. For example look for a flight in March to Barcelona from Toronto compared to Boston...the difference is $225 per ticket. That is money we could be spending on quite a few of the Michelin starred restaurants that Barcelona has to offer (You will love Barcelona, btw its our favorite city)
Maybe not the Pacific, but how about Florida and elsewhere in the Gulf. The water is just as warm and places like Siesta Key are very similar if not nicer than many Caribbean islands. Nothing against the Caribbean though it is where I am from.
OK, it's 20% cheaper, but not "fraction" as you mentioned before. However, 10 years ago it would've been the same price (than $1CAD = 0.60 US cents, now it's 0.92)
On other hand, as I mentioned, we can fly from Buffalo 1.5hours drive (that what we did when flew to Orlando)
For sure, water in FL is much warmer than in CA, but we have 2 choices of relocation Portland or Folsom/Santa Clara... and from Toronto Florida is more accessible (many ppl drive there) than from CA...
PS. To bad you guys cannot go to Cuba... Pilar Beach at Cayo Coco is the best IMHO
The flight from Toronto is international, from Buffalo - domestic
OK. Let's compare DEMESTIC, since you are interested.
New York City to Seattle round trip, 6 hours direct, $257
Toronto to Vancouver, round trip, 5 hours direct, $602
I searched using the same dates. The above are both cheapest available tickets. The Toronto-Vancouver actually has a shorter distance, but is 134% more expensive.
What's your argument now?
I can't say I am not pissed off about being ripped off.
ok, so is Toronto like US cities lifestyle-wise or not?
For the most part, it is very similar.
If you told us what you find most appealling about the U.S., then maybe we could give you some more precise answers about life in Toronto and Canada in general.
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maximum to border state...
