Expressing an uneducated opinion doesn't change the reality of the situation. Our system is a better system. Every citizen will receive care regardless of income. Tax payers with enough income pay a small supplement on their taxes each year ( between $200-$1000 per family ).
I would NEVER go to the US for medical care. There is zero point to do so. I have never met a Canadian directly who has. There are some fairly wealthy people who try to jump the queue by going to the US, but that just illustrates the weaknesses of an inequitable system. Think about it, your system allows rich Canadians to get care ahead of Americans if they are willing to pay.
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I disagree with much of that. My stepfather traveled from Toronto to Johns Hopkins and had a partial prostatectomy, because care was delivered faster, and the advanced procedure (which saved part of the prostate, thus allowing continued sexual function) was only available in the US.
A friends father was just recently diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer, a particularly aggressive cancer, after being bounced around from GP to GP, who handed him creams and antibiotics for SIX MONTHS while the tumor grew. Nobody wanted to order a biopsy because in Canada, defensive medicine isn't practiced. Trial and error medicine IS (diagnostic procedures are costly and the Governing bodies come down on GP's for ordering 'too many' costly tests).
My good friend is a psychiatrist in Toronto, who moved from Chicago, specifically to practice here. The OHIP billing system makes it much more advantageous to overbook (and thus overcharge), then in the States, where insurance companies are more strict and challenge hours charged. My sister in law used to work for OHA (Ontario Hospital Association) and now is an executive at the Womens College Hospital and tells me appointments are charged at 15 mins of time, while patients usually get 5 minutes or less. That's why we're continually rushed out the door...so doctors can overbook = $$$$
What are we good at? Lots. Assuming a persons condition is detected early enough, AND THAT'S A BIG IF, treatment is good. Bypass surgery, all types of cancers etc. Good treatment. Horrible diagnostics.
America errs on the side of over-testing, instead of under-testing. Defensive medicine. Much better then our system. Yes, it's more costly. And yes, there are pros and cons to each system. I'm completely behind a two-tier system. It's ridiculous we don't have a choice in Canada that would ease the burden on the socialized healthcare system.
Edit: and I got the inside baseball about Ebola from my sister-inlaw. Apparently, it's not even being discussed. Pretty much off the radar. Emergency procedures are in place,
on paper, but nobody knows how it'll work in a live environment.
