| phoggie: If I could say one thing it would be don't worry, but that won't help so instead I'll tell you about our health care here in Canada. First--You're health care won't change much if at all. I remember when we first got OHIP--Ontario health insurance policy--we were as aprehensive as many Americans are now. How health care works in Canada:
Money for health care comes out of Federal general revenue. We pay a bit more than you in income tax, a lot more than you in taxes on cigarettes and other things deemed a drain on health care. The federal government distributes this money to the provinces who in turn pay it to doctors and hospitals. There is no age limit or any other restrictions on who gets health care. If you are a Canadian citizen you are covered from the cradle to the grave. There are no horror stories any more than there are in your country. The thing is that here all our wait times are monitored and published. No one knows what yours are they are not monitored or published. We can go to any doctor--GP or specialist-- we choose. If I don't like the wait times in my town I can go to another town or city. My neighbor just had a knee replacement. It took 6 weeks to see a specialist and have the surgery done. I've heard of people in the States waiting longer than that, and my neighbor paid not one penny for anything. As for waiting to see your doctor or specialist. It depends on how many patients he has. Our one big problem is that a gung-ho politican cancelled spaces at medical schools a while back and now we have a shortage of doctors, but this has nothing to do with our health care. If we had more doctors there would be no waiting times at all. All basic health care is covered--visits to any medical doctor. Ward care and anything that is done in a hospital and drugs administered by the hospital. It covers eye exams for seniors and children and anyone who has an eye disease or condition like diabetes that may cause vision problems. It covers most tests, blood work. MRI's, CAT and PET scans. Many people have supplimental insurance to cover things like semi-private hospital rooms, physiotherapy, eye glasses, dental and drugs. There is really nothing to worry about. If the USA follows some of the things the countries who have health care and customizes it to your country., you're health care will stay much the same. The only ones who will lose out is the big for profit health insurance companies. Who do you think is doing all the fear mongering in your country--They don't want to see their cash cow disappear. | 
