We have a couple Canadians here and one I know pretty well. So, Reese, what's your take on the healthcare system in your country?
I have a woman at work whose sister lived in Sweden for many years. She said the healthcare system over there, while viewed by the rest of the world as being a progressive paradise, was absolutely horrible. She said she waited forever in waiting rooms and the doctors treated her like a car in on an assembly line. Everyone had healthcare, people paid tons of money into that healthcare system, yet it became such a beast of a system that the quality of care per patient was reduced.
VS you took the words right out of my mouth. While "everyone" shares the burden of the cost of the system, those that put the majority of the money into the system use very little of the system. Those that put very little into the system abuse it. However in saying that , the system is there IF you need it, with no additional cost to yourself, somewhat ( more on this later ) The system is extremely over abused in my area. Our hospital deploys the medivac numerous times a day to most of the remote reservations around the area. Who pays for that. WE do. However in saying that dial 911 from your house and have an ambulance ride with your 3 week old daughter who stopped breathing. YOU get a $125.00 bill for that ride. The rest of the cost is absorbed by the system. Most of the employers in the private sector offer additional healthcare coverage, which has to be claimed and approved. eg. prescriptions, crutches etc etc. While I personally try not to injure myself, I HAVE had to use the system, and IMO it sucks ballz. A 3 hour wait while bleeding in the ER is NOT what I pay for. Having to force the nurses at the registration to fill out my paperwork because I dislocated my shoulder and really really would like it put back in as it is causing myself undue pain, not to mention I can't exactly write while my shoulder is in it current state. Is the system flawed YUP. Can it be perfect, NOPE. Why can't Kenora keep Doctors, because they are going elsewhere for better pay and not having to deal with an overabused system, and or the people. I talked to one nurse and she told me that they have "regulars" that come to the ER. Now these "folks" put little, if anything into the system. They injure themselves so they get a warm place to sleep and a meal. Other folks injure themselves and get the medivac so the "family" can get to town. THAT is abuse. Doctor appt's, hell its a 3 week wait for me to get in for a checkup. Heaven forbid your child gets sick and you need an appt. Unless you are going to sit at the Dr's office all day with your child and pray that he can fit you in. By the time you see the Dr your not ill anymore. The system has been in place since I can remember. I couldn't imagine what the cost would be for a child to be delivered, or paying for a broken arm. Never had to think about it much as the "costs" are absorbed by the system. Much like Unemployment Insurance, and welfare, the system can be abused easily. We pay for the unemployment insurance on every paycheck we get. I have personally put into it for years, never have had to claim for it. Do I get ALL that money back, NOPE. I get a portion back of what I have paid for that current year. ( I think max amount of time I can claim for is 14months) The rest goes into the pot. Its a cost shared system much like the healthcare here. Any other questions fire away fella's Cheers Reese
Income tax is dollar figure dependant. eg, $50,000.00 is subject to $9176.00 in income tax. Sales tax is 8%(Ontario), with the treaty natives being exempt from this. Coupled with a GST (goods and services tax ) applicable to most purchases which is 5%(Everyone pays this). The government here is wanting to combine the sales and gst into ( HST) Harmonized Sales Tax, which has a lot of the people who are exempt from paying the sales tax in an uproar. They are wanting to combine the taxes to offset a lot of the costs involved in healthcare/welfare etc etc. I agree and I disagree with this tax. The agree part is EVERYONE is paying for services. The disagree part is they are putting this tax on EVERYTHING, gas, food, liquor, licences, fees, insurance, hydro, sewer/water bills, most of which at the current state of taxes, are exempt from one or the other of the two taxes. Come to Canada, we'll tax you to death, then we will keep your azz alive for free!
