Medical Care

There seems to be a very bad understanding of how the medical system works in Canada in the US. Understanding it is important because the US would be better off using Canada's system than keeping the system it's using now (even a revamped current system won't really help the US much).

In the US, you pay far too much money every month for medical care. At my husbands new job, our medical insurance is going to be roughly $200 a paycheck. Thats $400 a month for basic coverage. No wonder most people in the US can't afford coverage. Thats the cost of a car payment and its robbery. Being healthy is a human right whether its in the human rights act or not. It is NOT a private business where people can profit on you and let you die if they feel like. At least, it shouldn't be. But in the US it is and Republican love to tote how wonderful it is.

For some inane reason Americans are convinced that since we pay taxes, health care in Canada is completely free, and that we have no choice in whether we take it or not.

Well see, thats where you are wrong. You pay taxes sure but the amount that goes to health care is a pittance. You don't HAVE to take it. You have the option of going with private health insurance if you want (which most don't recommend because there really isn't that much improvement and they charge too much). But if you can't afford health care, its there if you need it.

In Alberta, the most Conservative province in Canada due to the massive influx of Americans, things work a little differently than the rest of the provinces. Only this last January have they instituted free health care and thats only because Alberta no longer has a debt at all. Thats right, they paid it all off.

Now before that time, here's how it worked...

Everyone who works contributes a small amount from every paycheck (and it really was small, like $10 a paycheck for a single person small). Alberta Health Care was $44 a month for a single, $88 for a family for basic health care coverage not including Blue Cross (eye care, teeth care, and drug coverage). Now, if your employer decided to include a pkg for health care on hiring you, they generally paid half that for you while you paid the other half. And employers usually also included Blue Cross coverage as well (if you got it privately, it was roughly $80 a month for an individual) with them paying half and you paying half.

And guess what... you could opt out. If you didn't pay health care they could and would cut you off and then you had to pay for all costs out of your pocket. This is insurance, its just insurance run by heavy government regulation, and it was optional.

So tell me exactly why that was so horrible. It wasn't. If you had something like this in the US, you would all be better off. And peoples health would be removed from the thieving scumbags that make up private business.