Hi Canada! Would you mind educating me about your health insurance?

[xray s]

One of the ridiculous things about US health insurance is the myriad of coverages you may fall under, which seems to be to be an utter waste of resources spent on administration that could be spent on health care.

For example, in the US, if you might be covered under your auto policy (if injured in a car accident), under workers compensation insurance (if injured at work), by Medicare or a supplemental policy (if you are over 65), by Medicaid (if you are very poor), by a policy offered by your employer (if you are lucky enough to have a job that offers insurance), by the Veterans Administration (if you were in the military and injured in a war).

To me this is lunacy.

My question to you is, how is health coverage handled in Canada for people injured on the job or in a car accident or while in the military?

Thanks!!

[EVDebs]

1. Laid off, job outsourced, COBRA expired, no health insurance now.

Job went to Bangalore. I suppose they don't have healthcare in India either so the CEOs are pocketting the difference there too.

I'd like to know the Canadian experience too. I'd like to see single-payer down here in US too !

[Canadian Socialist]

2. Try going to the Government of Canada website

http://www.canada.gc.ca/
FYI, although healthcare is universal, it is administered by the provinces/territories. Each has different rules, but all must adhere to the National health care act.

[Amonester]

3. I just searched for ... Canada Health Insurance

(in Google)

Here's another good one (5th link).

http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/healthcarecanada/


I am in an internet-cafe now so my time is somehow "limited."

Sorry for not writing more about it for the moment (will be back here this wednesday).



Conscientious objectors need our support:

http://www.notinourname.net/courage.htm


Contacts & more infos:

http://www.peace-out.com/

[CHIMO]

4. Big Question / No Simple Answer

The Canadian Health Insurance plan essentially consists of a set of rules where the federal government will provide a subsidy to the provincial governments, similar to the US states, if they follow certain rules or guidelines.

http://www.canadian-healthcare.org/page2.html

If one is in the military I believe that they are covered directly by the feds. If one is involved in a workplace injury then they would come under the employers worker's compensation, which is a provincial non profit employers plan.

There are all kinds of situations. The end result is if someone needs medical care they get it and the different parties can argue about the details, like money. The individual does not pay.

Some provinces require a monthly insurance premium and some do not. There is no discrimination on past history.

Some provinces insure dental some do not. Some provinces insure eye exams some do not. Most provinces do not have prescriptions included in their plan. These items are for additional insurance policies where they are not covered by the insurance plan. While in a hospital however everything is included.

Another thing that could be offered by a separate insurance policy is a private room in the hospital.

There is too much to explain, and it is not my area of expertise, in a simple reply.

Hope that I have piqued your interest to look at it further.

Just to add: This is a plan for Canadian citizens and landed immigrants. For people who require medical services in Canada that do not fall into these categories then they would most likely have to pay the going rates. This is another area that requires specific knowledge of the particular provincial requirements.

[pretzel4gore]

5. it's almost ridiculously obvious.....

the canadian system saves the paperwork that a for profit multi payer system necessitates....anyone's whose done their taxes etc knows how time consuming that paperwork can be...so canada's system uses formulas etc that result in well paid med staffs, well run hospitals and healthy population (supposedly)...we also save on preventive med ie minor illnesses that might progress to very costly ones are caught when it's cheaper to cure...the US spends 1/3 of entire med cost on tracking patients and cost of care/providers etc....ratwingers in canada concede the system is better value, but claim a for pay system would add to it whereas it would necessarily just undermine it...it defies common sense that including profit in a service cost somehow make the service less costly (given that it's well administered) but 25 years since reagan have convinced the 'haves' that this is true....unfortunately. Ironically, as health care touches everybody so closely, its very existence seems to neuter the canadian rightwing! makes them fabricate increasingly silly arguments to try stamped the public....

[iverglas]

6. a good site specifically for USAmericans

http://www.newrules.org/equity/CNhealthcare.html

It also has links to some initiatives in this direction in the US.

The article by Daniel Kraker provides a pretty good overview:
http://www.newrules.org/journal/nrwin01health.html
"The Canadian Cure"
(although I don't know why he spells Tommy Douglas's name with two "s"s!).

As I'm sure someone here has said, the provincial health care plans in Canada aren't the only coverage arrangements -- car insurance and worker's comp do cover the expenses of specific kinds of illness/injury. And private insurance can be purchased for things not covered by the public plans (prescription drugs, eyeglasses, private hospital rooms, etc.). Generally speaking, all "medically necessary" health care services are, and must be, covered by the provincial plans.

Of course, someone injured in a car accident (or on the job) simply receives treatment under the provincial plans in the first instance -- i.e. there is no paying out of pocket and waiting to recover from the insurer.

Members of the military are covered by Canadian Forces health care services. The Canadian Forces commonly use health care facilities in the community for this purpose. Their spouses and families are covered by the provincial plans where they live:
http://www.forces.gc.ca/health/news_pubs/hs_factsheets/engraph/sheet-01_e.asp?Lev1=4&Lev2=9&Lev3=2

Generally speaking, people select their own health care providers (doctors, specialists on referral by doctors) and there are no limits on what hospital anyone may be treated at. People travelling in other provinces are covered by their own province's plan, because "portability" is one of the requirements of the system.