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Statistics Show Canadian Healthcare Is Inferior to American System

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@ Kevin - The government doesn't end up covering it. the hospitals have to eat the cost. No, they can't deny you treament in emergent situations, but the bill is not covered by the government, it's written off as a loss to the facility, and is detrimental to the patients credit score.

Kristin of MO 4:05PM April 20, 2012

"Despite the improvement, however, the Fraser data shows many Canadians are still waiting almost four months (121 days) or more before they can receive treatment."
As opposed to the US system where, if you don't have health insurance or independent wealth - you'll be waiting forever?

fmacskasy.wordpress.com 8:12PM January 06, 2012

Oh sure, the wait time might be bad. In SOME parts of Canada. Healthcare is managed PER PROVINCE, and each individual city manages their hospitals. Its like me saying posting statistics regarding the obesity rate in texas, and applying it across all of the US.
I broke my collar bone and fractured my skull in a mountain biking accident. I paid $700... for the ambulance ride. Thats it. No deductable, no paying for the painkillers, no bankruptcy because I can't pay the bank back on a massive loan, and admitted without having to sign any forms or people checking if I had insurance or not.
Either way, would you rather wait a couple of extra weeks for FREE surgery, or shell out thousands upon thousands of dollars, for something that you SHOULD be covered for, but your insurance company is going to try to bend you over backwards to nullify your agreement?

John 11:35AM September 15, 2011

in response to the comment that there are 30 million Americans who don't receive healthcare, or access to a doctor...that's simply not true.
everyone has access. if you go to the emergency room, they must give you treatment. the government pays it. it happens all the time.
is it a great system? no. is it better to have waste like this, and have quicker access to surgery and screenings for diseases such as cancer? Yes. there is a reason that our survivor rates on cancer are the highest in the world.

Kevin of MS 5:40PM June 10, 2011

Good statistics, but it needs the comparison of american healthcare. Currently, as Obamacare isn't being enforced yet, i love the healthcare. its the best in the world. What makes Obama think that his reform will improve the system? it has been tried three times: Massachusetts, Canada, and Europe. it has failed three times. good job, Mr. President.

asdfjkl of AL 8:38PM March 23, 2011

Yes, I agree with this, our wait times are longer than in the United States, We also can't be turned down for anything, no matter what is wrong with us, we pay nothing to go to a hospital, so before you argue against are health care system, realize that while your waiting times are less, there's 30 million people in your country, men, women, and children, who can't go to see a doctor at all, or get any medical attention, because they simply don't have insurance, because they cant afford it, or they can't have a surgery because their insurance won't cover it, waiting an extra few hours or days doesn't bother me because I know everyone in my country is being treated, regardless of income.

DJ 12:33PM February 27, 2011

First, public education anywhere, U.S., Canada, the U.K. is all the same, seriously lacking. Remember it's the liberals who control all three, they write the textbooks, they are the professors in the ed dpt at the universities, they run the unions and they are the administrators. We've lost our history, the ability to spell and write and the math skills are quite poor. This is due solely to policy, liberal policy and ideology.
As for the health care, I've worked in hospitals and physicians practices for almost 30 years in the US. and know very well the system here is far superior. Why would the Premier of Newfoundland travel to Florida for his procedure when all he had to do was travel to another Provence? The wait times in the U.S are far shorter than in Canada even by the latest stats.
My husband is a retired G.I. and his wait time is on average two weeks to see a specialist. He required thoracic surgery which included a helicopter ride from one hospital to another and was in surgery immediately upon arrival. The care was top notch, I was briefed prior to the surgery and told he had a 12% chance of survival; he's active, healthy and we're grateful for our private health care in America.
I know several snow-birds from Canada who all have the story about the serious problems with health care in that country. I even worked three years for a Canadian physician who came right out and explained why he practices medicine in the US, not Canada. It's frustrating to finally see a patient that by the time he can come in it's too late to help him. Yeah, let's have some of that, gub-ment health care!

Rhonda of AZ 12:06AM November 11, 2010

I agree with Nick's critique that the comparable US statistics should be shown, but based on my own anecdotal experience working in American hospitals, the large number of canadians who come south to receive timely treatment would support the basic thrust of the article. I think another useful statistic to show would be the wait times at VA hospitals in the US. The VA hospital data would be useful for comparisons with private US hospitals since they may better represent how US federal govt. might run a national healthcare system.

Jason of NH 4:08PM July 10, 2010

WOW, TO THE PERSON WHO WROTE CANADA SUCKS.
SHOWS YOU HAVE A REALLY GREAT ARGUMENT SKILLS! ESPECIALLY ON THE CANADIAN VS US HEATH CARE SYSTEMS TOPIC. PERHAPS, WE SHOULD DISCUSS OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS INSTEAD! AT LEAST WE HAVE A MIND OR OUR OWN UP HERE, AND NOT BRAINWASHED BY MONEY GRUBBING CORRUPTED POLITICIANS.

CITIZEN 3:19AM April 28, 2010