Question for Canadians........

[jemgumby]

Hi there, we are seriously considering immigrating to Canada....right now we are just looking at the cost of living, jobs, housing, etc. Now I was under the impression that you guys had the free health care system but when I am searching jobs it says under the benefits medical, dental, etc. How could those be benefits of a job if they are already free???? Any enlightenment on the issue would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Oooh, I'm Canadian, I can answer that!

We do have a universal health care system that covers doctor visits, hospital stays and treatments, and a few other things (such as some chiropractic care). Prescription medications, eyeglasses, dental care and some other things are not covered, so companies will offer a plan that includes these items for their employees. (People can also buy these "extended coverage" plans privately if they want.)

Teresa

 

[Tink-aholic]

"Free" healthcare is not free -- it is included in the taxes. I worked in healthcare in Canada and in the US and in my area (north of Toronto), my taxes were ridiculously high. I was a single mom who rented a house, and my employee taxes were nearly 50% of my gross and I was taxed 15% on almost every purchase. Dental and prescriptions are not covered, but are frequently an employer-sponsored benefit.

I also sliced my hand open one evening while making dinner. Seven hours later in the ER, I left (without even being asked my name the ENTIRE time I was there) and bought steri-strips and took care of it myself. It is my opinion that the healthcare system in Canada gives everyone equal access to the same lousy care.

You should also know that their labor laws are very different from ours. I worked between 45-60 hours per week for three years solid and was still considered "casual part time"...which means I wasn't paid for sick time, holidays, or dental/Rx benefits.

I am a Canadian currently working in the US. I love my homeland, but there is no way I could ever afford to live there.

Good luck.

 

[jemgumby]

"Free" healthcare is not free -- it is included in the taxes. I worked in healthcare in Canada and in the US and in my area (north of Toronto), my taxes were ridiculously high. I was a single mom who rented a house, and my employee taxes were nearly 50% of my gross and I was taxed 15% on almost every purchase. Dental and prescriptions are not covered, but are frequently an employer-sponsored benefit.

I also sliced my hand open one evening while making dinner. Seven hours later in the ER, I left (without even being asked my name the ENTIRE time I was there) and bought steri-strips and took care of it myself. It is my opinion that the healthcare system in Canada gives everyone equal access to the same lousy care.

You should also know that their labor laws are very different from ours. I worked between 45-60 hours per week for three years solid and was still considered "casual part time"...which means I wasn't paid for sick time, holidays, or dental/Rx benefits.

I am a Canadian currently working in the US. I love my homeland, but there is no way I could ever afford to live there.

Good luck.

Yeah, I know it's not really "free" because of high taxes, etc. However, we are self employed and pay over $400 a month for health insurance. THe two times we went without health insurance my DH had to have his gallbladder out ($20,000) and my appendix had to come out (another $20,000). Don't just think the healthcare in Canada is lousy cause when my appendix was about to rupture I went to the ER and did not recieve any help. I waited in a little room in one of those stupid gowns for over 5 hours. They had me pee in a cup and nobody even came and got my pee......I too left and went home and went to my family doc the next day who immediately admitted me to the hospital and I was in emergency surgery within an hour! Also, the good thing about "free health care" is it is regulated in that doctors/pharmacies cannot charge ridiculous prices like they do over here. For instance how come the same drugs we pay soooo much money for are remarkably less in other countries?????? It is RIDICULOUS!!! I recommend to watch the documentary Sicko and you might appreciate what you had a little bit more......but nothing is perfect.

 

[HelenePA]

Yeah, I know it's not really "free" because of high taxes, etc. However, we are self employed and pay over $400 a month for health insurance. THe two times we went without health insurance my DH had to have his gallbladder out ($20,000) and my appendix had to come out (another $20,000). Don't just think the healthcare in Canada is lousy cause when my appendix was about to rupture I went to the ER and did not recieve any help. I waited in a little room in one of those stupid gowns for over 5 hours. They had me pee in a cup and nobody even came and got my pee......I too left and went home and went to my family doc the next day who immediately admitted me to the hospital and I was in emergency surgery within an hour! Also, the good thing about "free health care" is it is regulated in that doctors/pharmacies cannot charge ridiculous prices like they do over here. For instance how come the same drugs we pay soooo much money for are remarkably less in other countries?????? It is RIDICULOUS!!! I recommend to watch the documentary Sicko and you might appreciate what you had a little bit more......but nothing is perfect.

sounds like you have a lousy hospital. In my case this has never been true. The few times I've been at the ER we've never waited more than an hour to be seen, heck I've had dr appointments where I've waited longer to be seen! last time we used the ER was last month when my son broke his arm. It was a holiday weekend (of course!) and we do not have urgent care or anything like that.. so off to the ER we went.. He was home a little over 2 hours after it happened. So far my OOP costs are 96$ Actually they are zero right now but I've been tracking the bills online and that is what is showing as to what we owe right now. Our insurance costs us 32$ a week from Dh's employer.

 

[christiane]

"Free" healthcare is not free -- it is included in the taxes. I worked in healthcare in Canada and in the US and in my area (north of Toronto), my taxes were ridiculously high. I was a single mom who rented a house, and my employee taxes were nearly 50% of my gross and I was taxed 15% on almost every purchase. Dental and prescriptions are not covered, but are frequently an employer-sponsored benefit.

I also sliced my hand open one evening while making dinner. Seven hours later in the ER, I left (without even being asked my name the ENTIRE time I was there) and bought steri-strips and took care of it myself. It is my opinion that the healthcare system in Canada gives everyone equal access to the same lousy care.

You should also know that their labor laws are very different from ours. I worked between 45-60 hours per week for three years solid and was still considered "casual part time"...which means I wasn't paid for sick time, holidays, or dental/Rx benefits.

I am a Canadian currently working in the US. I love my homeland, but there is no way I could ever afford to live there.

Good luck.

Here we go with the anecdotes!! For every story like yours slamming our health care, there are probably 1000 from people who are grateful for the care they received. Maybe on the night you cut your hand, there were 20 people ahead of you having heart attacks, strokes, giving birth, suffering from head trauma, broken bones etc etc. You work in healthcare, you should know to go to a walk-in clinic to get a few sutures. I would even venture to say that if the wound healed with a bandage, then you proably didn't need to go to the ER in first place.

If you paid 50% of your gross in taxes then you were a high income earner. Federal tax rates for 2009 are 29% for income above $127,000. Ontario provincial tax is 11% for income above $77,000. You are probably including EI and maybe your work had other payroll deductions including benefits. The minimum wage in most provinces also generally surpasses American rates; in Ontario it is $9.50/hr & will rise to $10.25/hr next year.


It also sounds like you chose to be a contract worker and were not covered by Employment Standards. My husband & I both own small businesses and can assure anyone who read your anecdote that there are very strict labour laws about hours worked & compensation for working beyond regular hours. Our terrible labour laws also allow new parents to take a one year paid leave of absence and one year unpaid and keep their jobs. It also allows for paid leave for someone to take care of an ill family member.

jemgumby, Canada is a fabulous country who prioritizes taking care of its citizens with social programs including health care. You will be eligible after 3 months after living in Canada, so you will need private insurance until then.

You may pay a bit more in taxes but you will never worry about not receiving proper health care if you need it. Prescriptions are covered if you are hospitalized but not if you are an outpatient. Dental, physiotherapy, chiropractics, medical devices etc can also be covered with a private health plan which you can purchase privately if you are self-employed. The premiums are fully tax-deductible.

Cost of living varies widely across the country. I would go the Canadian Boards and you will find very friendly people from coast to coast you can give you general ideas for the areas you are looking at.

Do you know your qualifications for immigrating? Our federal government right now is not very pro-immigration so they have been tightening standards & qualifications.

I have lived in the US & in Canada and love both countries. I just want to see Canada being portrayed fairly.

Good luck with your decision...

 

[JanetMom]

I agree with Christiane. I am from Canada and have always received excellent medical care.

Sure we have had some long waits in emergency for things that did not appear to be life threatening in the moment, but when my son was 13-months and could not breathe, he was admitted without any waiting, and I was allowed to sleep in the ER with him that night, in a private room, and the nurse literally came into our room to tuck ME in on the cot they rolled in for me. When I broke my leg so severely it needed surgery, I had a bed in the ER without any waiting.

So there are good stories and bad stories, but in the 45 years of my life I can say I am pleased with our healthcare system.

 

[jakoky]

Hi there, i can also say i much appreciate our medical system here...with 3 kids, we have had our trips to emergency, and yes, sometimes we had to wait, but it meant there were more serious things in front of us...My youngest dd was born 7 weeks early and was born with very serious bowel problems...she spent 47 days in the SCN and underwent 3 surgeries in her first 4 weeks...I remember thinking that if we lived in the US, we would have went bankrupt...all we had to cover was ferry, food, and living, and that still cost us many thousands of dollars...this was when i truly grew to appreciate what we get here....
sharon

 

[canadianjovigirl]

I too am Canadian and although our health care system may be lacking in some aspects due to shortage of some healthcare professionals in some locations, i am grateful for the system of care we do have. Everyone is treated equally dispite financial status and you do not have the worries of huge medical bills during an emergency. And compare to the hundreds of dollars some American friends pay for comparable care i will take my provincial coverage anyday over those premiums. We have seriously thought of relocating to the US, but healthcare is one of our major concerns.

I have had a few friends who have had to relocate back to Canada to access the canadian health care system after being diagnosed with Cancer and encountering hundreds of thousands of dollars in US medical bills they could no longer survive......another had a premature baby and had to move back once the baby was released to access care they could not afford in the US.

Immigration laws are tough everywhere right now i think, thus the reason we are staying where we are......we have a home and jobs here and right now that is more than alot of folks in alot of areas.

Good luck with whatever you decide....Canada is beautiful, and has lots to offer!!!!

 

[Ernie]

I am now 63 years old, and live in Ontario. When I was in grade 2 my mother died of cancer before we had socialized medicine, and I watched the medical bills nearly bankrupt my family.
I contrast this now, where families do not live in fear of a major health crisis destroying them financially. Our personal experience has been that the health care is excellent. I'm sure that there are a few personal horror stories (on both sides of the border), but living in a rural area in eastern Ontario, the care has been superb. No problem getting either a doctor's appointment or a hospital service.
I might add that for seniors in Ontario, the costs of their drugs is covered by the government.

 

[jemgumby]

Thanks for the insight everybody! As I said I saw the documentary "Sicko" and it was quite an eye opener for me personally. It just makes me sick how our government is in partnership with docs/pharmacies to keep health care soooo high. It was also enlightening to see how the whole HMO thing started....Thank you President Nixon (or should I say Nixon the Crook) If other countries such as Canada, United Kingdom, Cuba can provide decent healthcare to their citizens it really makes one question the country they live in.....that is why we are seriously consider moving. I think Canada is beautiful and their seems to be good diversity. Diversity to me means more than likely people will be open minded and not so narrow minded, which is something important to me. I will definitely go check out the Canada boards.......so far we have looked into the Vancouver area. I looked at the official Canadian government website and checked out some jobs. It all looks pretty good to me!

 

[LisaR]

I also sliced my hand open one evening while making dinner. Seven hours later in the ER, I left (without even being asked my name the ENTIRE time I was there) and bought steri-strips and took care of it myself. It is my opinion that the healthcare system in Canada gives everyone equal access to the same lousy care.

Please! As an American who has worked in hospitals in the US and been a patient or relative of a patient in our hospitals, I can give examples of true horror stories. There are great doctors and hospitals and there are ones that stink. Doesn't matter where you live.

Having grown up in the Detroit area, I have many friends that live in Canada. I don't have a single friend that would be willing to lower their taxes in order to have health coverage like we do in the US. And believe me, we have discussed this in great detail over the years.

My only medical experience in Canada was when I hurt myself playing racquetball while on vacation. It looked pretty bad so the resort recommended a medical facility not too far away. Since we were in another country, we were told we would have to pay for the services and submit the paper work to our insurance company. I had x-rays taken, a soft cast put on plus a pair of crutches. We were expecting some outrageous bill. It was $50! Needless to say, we didn't bother submitting it to our insurance. Our co-pay for out of network would have been more than that.

 

[m&m's mom]

You might not want to use Sicko as an accurate guide to healthcare in America.
My DD was born at 1 pound and had literally over a million $ bill. We most certainly did not become bankrupt and I was only out my deductible. All insurance companies and their policies are different.

 

[OntFamily]

This is an exaggeration. For 2009, the highest combined marginal tax rate in Canada (for any province) is 47% (for residents of New Brunswick), and this only affects that portion of income above $127,000. For that portion of income below $127,000, the income tax rate is much lower.

It is mathematically impossible to have an average tax rate of 50% on total gross income. To even be at an average tax rate of 40%, you'd have to have an income greater than $250,000. This is for a single person (not family).

 

[LisaR]

Wait a minute. You're going to move to Canada because of a movie? While I think something needs to be done about our health care system and I do like what Canada has, I certainly wouldn't make life altering decisions based on a movie. Have you ever been to Canada? Have you spent a significant amount of time in their country?

 

[OntFamily]

By and large, what you have described above is illegal. With the exception of dental/drug benefits (for which there is no legal mandate), there is strict legislation dealing with holiday pay. If you didn't receive this a quick call to your provincial ministry of labour would have fixed this problem.

Everyone is entitled to vacation pay and the vast majority will receive pay for statuatory holidays.

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/guide/guide_8.html

 

[jemgumby]

I have always wanted to move to Canada......The people seem so friendly and it is beautiful. No, it's not because of the documentary (not a movie) that I am considering. This has been something I have wanted to do for a long time. My experience with our healthcare system is very much like what people have gone through in Sicko. It is disgusting the way we have to deal with the rising cost of medical care and how when we retire Social Security may not even be around.....I am just tired of it all. I want a fresh start and hey, I think moving out of the country and starting a new life sounds pretty darn good to me!!! I hate where I live. I hate the schools. I hate our healthcare system. I hate how hot it is where I live. I hate the narrowminded rednecks I deal with on a day to day basis. I want out.......I am not saying there won't be a "mean" Canadian but let me tell you with my job I am on the phone helping people in the U.S. and in Canadian and let me tell you, I rarely get a rude Canadian. They are very friendly and respectful. However, I can tell you that Americans are just downright rude.......Anyways, wasn't asking "permission" to move but getting some info from Canadians......