Canada's out-of-pocket health care costs

[Independent voter]

"In Canada, for a number of decades, they have provided quality care to all people without out-of-pocket expenses. You go in for cancer therapy, you don't take out your wallet." -- Bernie Sanders

This was fact checked:

So long as the care comes from a doctor or at a hospital, the Canadian system covers the full cost. But the country’s public insurance doesn’t automatically pay for all services, most significantly, prescription drugs, including drugs needed to fight cancer.

Out-of-pocket spending is about 15 percent of all Canadian health care expenditures, and researchers said prescription drugs likely represented the largest share of that.

The financial burden on people is not nearly as widespread or as severe as in the United States, but Sanders made it sound as though out-of-pocket costs were a non-issue in Canada.

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-m...pocket-health/

Interesting read on Canada's health care.

I thought Canada had 100% free everything. It's not true. Always it's the same thing with these "free health care systems", if they talk to Americans they say how great it is. Meanwhile at home, they complain about it.

[durenas]

It's definitely not 100% free. Prosthetics(glasses, hearing aids, limbs, braces) are not automatically covered, and you would have to investigate special programs on a province by province basis. Dentistry is also not covered. So brush your teeth! And pray you don't have to get a wisdom tooth removed.

[XangXu]

Interesting read on Canada's health care.

I thought Canada had 100% free everything. It's not true. Always it's the same thing with these "free health care systems", if they talk to Americans they say how great it is. Meanwhile at home, they complain about it.

We complain about out governent because we want to feel relevant.

Ask any Canadian if they would like to have a more capitalistic Health Care system like America’s and they will laugh at you.

[Priestiality]

Paying out of pocket for prescriptions is a lot less of a financial burden when you realize a months supply of insulin in Canada is less than 1% of what it costs in the US but go off with your ignorance I guess.

[durenas]

I'm not surprised how you dont understand how a public health care system works.

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If they're not fully covered they are usually subsidized.

You either have insurance from your job, are covered by some provincial plan or other(like I was covered under the provinical hearing aid plan as a child), or have to cover the cost yourself. There are some subsidies, but it's not a universal guarantee.

[NihilSustinet]

Interesting read on Canada's health care.

I thought Canada had 100% free everything. It's not true. Always it's the same thing with these "free health care systems", if they talk to Americans they say how great it is. Meanwhile at home, they complain about it.

no one ever said it was 100% totally free for everything. but its still way better than what we have.

[Themius]

Paying out of pocket for prescriptions is a lot less of a financial burden when you realize a months supply of insulin in Canada is less than 1% of what it costs in the US but go off with your ignorance I guess.

Basically this.

American Pharma companies makes drugs sells them for like 1 million times more (this isn't even an exaggeration for certain drugs) and then sells them for 1000 times more overseas.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

Interesting read on Canada's health care.

I thought Canada had 100% free everything. It's not true. Always it's the same thing with these "free health care systems", if they talk to Americans they say how great it is. Meanwhile at home, they complain about it.

Yeah, I pay for my own prescription. Costs me about $60 a year...boy am I ever so angry about that...


Off-topic: Don't you ever get tired of making these Canada-bashing threads where you are consistently made to look the fool?

[crazyfool319]

It really amazes me how stupid people are about government subsidized health care. People seem to be quite happy paying more for health insurance(which usually doesnt have great coverage) instead of increasing taxes by a small amount and being able to go to a hospital without fear of bankruptcy

[nymphetsss]

Hi Canadian here, when i busted my toe and had to have surgery they mistakenly sent me a bill for 17,000$. Could you imagine? I had changed my last name, it got cleared up and i didn't have to pay it. So i ended up paying about 12 $ for my painkillers and antibiotics the surgery and the 4 days i spent in the hospital. TWELVE DOLLARS.

Yes I had Manulife coverage through my girlfriends job 80% on prescriptions 50% dental, shes just a healthcare aide at a retirement home ( a decent job but little educational requirement etc) Most people have decent coverage here from what ive seen.

My friend is going through chemo for cervical cancer atm ( second round), they havent payed out of pocket for anything yet ( the husband has a REALLY good job though, so I imagine it includes full coverage)

[Fojos]

Same in Sweden. You pay for every night you stay in a hospital.

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It really amazes me how stupid people are about government subsidized health care. People seem to be quite happy paying more for health insurance(which usually doesnt have great coverage) instead of increasing taxes by a small amount and being able to go to a hospital without fear of bankruptcy

"Small amount". No.

[minteK917]

First problem in your OP. Canada is not in charge of the healthcare, Healthcare is a provincial responsibility. All the federal government did is establish some rules and redirect the funds it has for it. Then each provinces also have their own taxes (or lack of them) to pay for what ever they see fit.

[Lazuli]

Fuck bernie he's a socialist commie bastard

[Mihalik]

Co-pay is a feature of all Universal Healthcare programs I'm aware of. But the point is that it's only mandatory for those who can afford it (aka you earn above a certain amount) and it's capped at a certain amount.

I live in Spain, here you have to pay part of your prescription drugs if you are over the age of 18 and earn a certain amount of income. For people making 22k Euro or less a year the monthly co-pay is like 8 euros. The maximum for people making over 100k a year is 60 euro a month.

In the US my over the counter cold prescriptions cost more than the maximum I would be allowed to pay here for cancer meds or whatnot.

[Jotaux]

I remember when I broke my arm, numerous x rays and doctor visits and the only thing I paid was $10 for a sling.

[Mihalik]

Fuck bernie he's a socialist commie bastard

You forgot SJW, lover of "coloreds" and homosexuals!

[Arainie]

Same in Sweden. You pay for every night you stay in a hospital.

It probably doesn't help you, but in order to be fair the cost of a night in the hospital is usually $10-12 (around 100 sek) depending on county.

[Mashanerz]

Things not covered (and Canadian's support extending coverage to include them)

-Non-emergency Dental, but if you're poor and need emergency dental work then the trillium fund will cover it.

-Medication to an extent, if someone is in poverty they can apply to be covered under the trillium fund and as mentioned in the article anything administered in a hospital is done so without charge

-Non-emergency eye care to an extent. Anyone under 19 or over 65 is eligible for yearly eye examinations.

-Physiotherapy

-Cosmetic plastic surgery

Usually when people supplement their coverage in Canada though work benefits, it's to expand those first 3 things. Getting that coverage outside of employment benefits can be very costly.

[Endus]

Things not covered (and Canadian's support extending coverage to include them)

-Non-emergency Dental, but if you're poor and need emergency dental work then the trillium fund will cover it.

As a side note, if your wisdom teeth are impacted, that qualifies and is covered. My wisdom teeth were removed in a hospital by an oral surgeon, and covered under OHIP. Most dentistry is not, however.

-Non-emergency eye care to an extent. Anyone under 19 or over 65 is eligible for yearly eye examinations.

I think that varies a bit by province, but it's true in Ontario.

Given Luxxotica's bullshit, I didn't pay the gouge at my optometrist for my most recent pair of glasses, I ordered them online. My optometrist was going to charge $180 for basic lenses, frames started at $80 and the good ones were $140+.
Through my online provider, I got my whole package for $120 I think, which included lenses, top-end titanium frames ($200+ at the optometrist, at least), clip-on sun and 3D glasses for my frames, hydro- and oleophobic coating on the lenses on top of anti-scratch. I would've paid $600 or more through my optometrist.

The actual eye care's totally reasonable. Like $60 for the checkup, and when there was a medical concern, the followups were covered. Glasses suck, but not because of our system, because of Luxxotica's near-monopoly and price fixing.

[Worvon]

We complain about out governent because we want to feel relevant.

Ask any Canadian if they would like to have a more capitalistic Health Care system like America’s and they will laugh at you.

Could expand that to anyone from a civilized country that takes care of it's people. They all laugh at the US system.