As a new Canadian (got my citizenship in 2005), I can say without a doubt that the healthcare I've received has been regularly on par with what I received in the US, and far better in the case of extreme conditions. Yes, it's hard to get an immediate appointment to see my regular doctor on the day I have a cold, but that was the case in Seattle and Austin as well. At least in Canada, I can go to any walk-in clinic and be treated without any cost.
But what is most impressive about Canada's healthcare was how they treated my uterine fibroids. I saw a doctor in Seattle about my extreme cramps and bleeding before leaving Seattle, said I was worried about endometriosis or some other condition, and could she check them out. I was dismissively told not to self-diagnose, and she wouldn't even send me for an ultrasound. Shortly afterwards, I moved to Canada, where I had to wait for 8 months before receiving medical coverage. Once I got it, I saw a doctor who immediately scheduled an US and discovered that I had huge fibroids. Had they been caught earlier, I might have been able to reduce them with meds; as it was, I had to have a hysterectomy (which was free, btw, and done within three months). I can't help thinking that my US doctor didn't want to incur the costs of the ultrasound, so I was left undiagnosed.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-10-20 05:50 pm (UTC)But what is most impressive about Canada's healthcare was how they treated my uterine fibroids. I saw a doctor in Seattle about my extreme cramps and bleeding before leaving Seattle, said I was worried about endometriosis or some other condition, and could she check them out. I was dismissively told not to self-diagnose, and she wouldn't even send me for an ultrasound. Shortly afterwards, I moved to Canada, where I had to wait for 8 months before receiving medical coverage. Once I got it, I saw a doctor who immediately scheduled an US and discovered that I had huge fibroids. Had they been caught earlier, I might have been able to reduce them with meds; as it was, I had to have a hysterectomy (which was free, btw, and done within three months). I can't help thinking that my US doctor didn't want to incur the costs of the ultrasound, so I was left undiagnosed.
So yeah. I'll take the Canadian system any day!