Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Nope. Canada doesn't have socialized medicine

 


Today my wife and I drove a life-long friend of hers to a small town to the southwest of London. She was having eye surgery and had decided to have an eye surgeon at the Anjema Eye Institute perform the operation.

Many Americans believe incorrectly that Canada has some left-wing-inspired medical health care system. Socialized medicine is the battle cry. One can forgive these Yanks as many Canadians also believe their system is socialism. Many would argue that both are wrong. The fee my wife's friend paid for the laser surgery was clear proof her operation was not part of a socialist plot. If anything, it was capitalism at its finest.

I'd say more but to tell the truth this story is too complicated for me to address here. But here is a link to an article written by a Canadian doctor: 
A Canadian Doctor Explains How Her Country's Single-Payer Health Care System Works
Like my wife's friend, I will soon need eye surgery and lens replacement because of a growing problem with cataracts. Unlike my wife's friend, I cannot afford to go outside the government plan seeking a superior solution.  (And my eye problems are not complicated by other serious eye problems.) Think of the government plan as similar to insurance and I will gladly accept the treatment my "insurance" covers and I'll see just fine.
Do we have any problems with our health care. Yes! That said, have you ever had a problem with an insurance company when it came to health care? I had a heart incident while visiting the States. The insurance company did its best to disqualify me by claiming my problem was a "pre-existing condition." I wasn't. It took about eight months to straighten the mess out. During that time, I was constantly harassed by collection agencies looking for the $35,000 that my treatment cost.

No comments: