A question for the Canadians on this forum. Have you ever gone to the States for medical treatment ? Do you know any other Canadians who have done so.

J

jimintoronto

Senior Member
I recently had to rebut a statement on here by a American who stated that "Many Canadians go to America for medical care " I told him that he was wrong. Now I would like to hear from you on this subject. Have you, or any of your family or friends travelled to the US for medical care ? Thanks. JimB.
 

The only reason to do so would be to obtain some sort of highly specialized treatment (e.g. for a rare tropical disease) not available in Canada. And unless I'm mistaken Canadians would be covered for the cost of that.

Organizations like the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic do make a lot of money from treating wealthy non-U.S. citizens, but that's because the quality of care in places like, say, Qatar, may not be as up to date as it is in the U.S. private sector.
 

JimBob1952 said:
The only reason to do so would be to obtain some sort of highly specialized treatment (e.g. for a rare tropical disease) not available in Canada. And unless I'm mistaken Canadians would be covered for the cost of that.

Organizations like the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic do make a lot of money from treating wealthy non-U.S. citizens, but that's because the quality of care in places like, say, Qatar, may not be as up to date as it is in the U.S. private sector.
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Here is a link about an American who went to India for a cardiac operation that would have cost him over $100,000 in the USA, but only $10,000 in India, and that included his air flights. Link. India’s Hospitals Are Filling Up With Desperate Americans – Foreign Policy I put this here to point out that the high costs of medical procedures in the USA is driving some Americans to other parts of the world for treatment, and to rebut the lies that some Americans spread about "Canadians going to the US for medical care ". JimB.
 
The guy cited in the article didn't have health insurance (in 2008).

I'm on Medicare now. When I was 55, I had open heart surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. My surgeon had operated on Bill Clinton, so I figured he was pretty good. I had good (company) insurance.

My out of pocket cost was about $200. We spent almost as much on parking.

Theoretically, everybody is now insured due to Obamacare. I'm sure some people still slip through the net.

My point is, not everybody in the US is flying off to India for kidney transplants or whatever. The standard of care is high. We just need better coverage and payment mechanisms. Why we don't just copy the Swiss, German or Dutch models is beyond me.
 
jimintoronto said:
Here is a link about an American who went to India for a cardiac operation that would have cost him over $100,000 in the USA, but only $10,000 in India, and that included his air flights. Link. India’s Hospitals Are Filling Up With Desperate Americans – Foreign Policy I put this here to point out that the high costs of medical procedures in the USA is driving some Americans to other parts of the world for treatment, and to rebut the lies that some Americans spread about "Canadians going to the US for medical care ". JimB.
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American media spread that "lie", not Americans. But it's true that back in the 80s and 90s, several Canadians did indeed come to the US for specialized treatment not yet available in Canada. Once the equipment for the treatment was shipped to Canada, they didn't have to come here for it.

I don't remember what the treatment was for, but I don't think it was cancer. I could be wrong but I think it was the machine that circulates your blood outside your heart and lungs during a transplant. That machine was actually invented by a German, but perfected in the US. Again, I could be wrong but that's what's coming to mind right now. Something to do with blood circulation is what I remember. So maybe it was cancer treatment...IV chemotherapy?

When I was a young man, I had a co-worker who immigrated from the Middle-East and used to go back annually to get dental work for something like $10.
 
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I have seen it .... live in an area that is close to part of border and at hospitals and clinics here seen many a license plate from Canada.

I also have known some Canadians ....... not looking for specialized care .......but care in a more timely manner then they would have waited...

It has been extorted by media and whatever narrative that tries to cite it .... I know if I had to park in other parking while going in for test because majority of cars in that parking lot were from Canada ...... ever been asked to reschedule because "you live here ... this person traveled to see doctor" ... I have been asked that ...

Canada and the US are both very large countries .........I do not think anyone can speak for what happens in whole country ......
so if someone from Ontario for example has not noticed any person they personally know travel for care fine...
My question is .........do you speak for Alberta and British Columbia as well.... ?
 
I'm a Canuck and I have never gone to the USA for medical treatments of any kind. Do I know of anyone who has gone? NO! I read about some people going to North Dakota for some sort of treatment during the "good ole' Covid days" but that was in the media. Of course, the media does no end of complaining around here. Why would anyone go to the USA unless they were rich or desperate. We get "free" medical coverage paid out of our taxes. Yes, we were and still are back-logged with many medical procedures but that was caused by the government and it is a rather very long story.

Anyway, "the longest free border in the world in the world" wasn't so free for a long time. It was closed except for truckers. It made the Polish-Russian border seem like a "piece of cake" to cross. We had a 2 class system here. The peasants were forbidden to cross the border, so they were forced to stay home. The rich could transport their mobile homes on the back of low bed trucks across the border and then they would fly to the nearest point in the USA to pick up their mobile homes and then head for Texas or Arizona. Just gotta love that 2 class system!
 
All I’m saying is before pre-Covid restrictions.

Speaking for BC, there have been people, especially children with unique situations who have been sent to the US and their bills were covered by our medical system. Some small border towns used to send people to the US if the financial costs warranted it. Often the American doctors set up offices to cater to them.

It worked both ways. There are border towns that specialized in services for Americans. Even paying for hospitalization services in Canada was less expensive than doing it in the US. Plastic surgeons took advantage of this. Some offices specialize in writing prescriptions so the Americans can get our cheaper drugs. They would have bus tours here.

Unless one is very rich it is too risky for the average person to go to the US for a medical procedure. If one went for a private procedure and was in a car accident while there, their medical travel insurance would be negated. It’s a tricky situation.

Canadians who winter in the southern US states love to go to Mexico for dental services. Much less expensive and quality service. Some will take a vacation to Mexico just for dental care.

Editing. I personally don’t know anyone going to the US for faster service.
 
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JimBob1952 said:
The guy cited in the article didn't have health insurance (in 2008).

I'm on Medicare now. When I was 55, I had open heart surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. My surgeon had operated on Bill Clinton, so I figured he was pretty good. I had good (company) insurance.

My out of pocket cost was about $200. We spent almost as much on parking.

Theoretically, everybody is now insured due to Obamacare. I'm sure some people still slip through the net.

My point is, not everybody in the US is flying off to India for kidney transplants or whatever. The standard of care is high. We just need better coverage and payment mechanisms. Why we don't just copy the Swiss, German or Dutch models is beyond me.
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The ACA (Obamacare) cannot be compared to any form of universal health care such as exists in all other advanced/developed countries in the world and even many who are not well developed*. It is a political band-aid that leads to financial ruin when a family is hit with serious illness. History will look back on this period of no universal health care in the U.S. as shameful beyond belief.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...ith universal healthcare include,Ukraine, and
 
OneEyedDiva said:
I never have and don't need to but I used to hear about people getting their medications from Canada because they were cheaper.
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That is correct. Canada has a national prescription drug pricing law. The same drug costs the same amount right across the country. Obviously that lower price is attractive to Americans. Some Americans who live within a few hours drive of the Canadian border come here to have a Canadian Doctor write a script for them and then they go to a Canadian pharmacy and get it filled. The cost in Canada is usually 50 to 80 percent less than the cost in the USA. Other Americans use internet based Canadian pharmacy services, which will accept a US Doctor's written script, fill the order, accept payment by credit card ( in Canadian dollars ) and ship the order to the American customer by UPS or FedEx courier delivery to the American customer's home. JimB.
 
AnnieA said:
From what I've read, that's sketchy these days since scammers have set up online pharmacies with Canadian urls and names but aren't actually based in Canada.
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Here is a website from the Government of Canada that lists ACTUAL Canadian online pharmacies. Link. Choosing a safe online pharmacy - Canada.ca What better source than the Government of Canada ? JimB.
 
jimintoronto said:
I recently had to rebut a statement on here by a American who stated that "Many Canadians go to America for medical care " I told him that he was wrong. Now I would like to hear from you on this subject. Have you, or any of your family or friends travelled to the US for medical care ? Thanks. JimB.
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Here in the states this is one of those bumper sticker statements based on an outright lie, albeit a popular lie, used by those who politically oppose universal health care. My cousin was one of them, and he used to say that to defeat any argument for improving our American health care system, which is by Western standards a corporate oligarch's dream foisted on the middle class: "If our system is so bad why do all he Canadians come to the US to get health care." And that is just one lie of many. It's a hard one to argue against because the misinformation is so abundant, it has become a truth even without any evidence to actually support it.

By the way, I purchase all of my medications from a pharmacy in Manitoba. What I save would pay for the additional prescription insurance costs from US Medicare many times over. My relatives are always sending me information about discounts and coupons to buy cheaper medications right here in the US, but they aren't even in the ballpark of what I save by getting them in Canada. And of course there is now a bill before congress to prevent US Citizens from buying meds from Canada.
 
I haven’t, nor do I know anyone that has.
But as a previous poster alluded to, I have heard of some Canadians going to the US for non life threatening issues, say knee surgery, as the waiting lists can sometimes be long here (Ontario).
Closer to home, my wife’s aunt had to wait several months for her knee replacements. My brother had blood clots in his leg a few months ago and received vascular surgery right away, thus saving his leg. My aunt survived stage four lung cancer ten years ago and is still hanging around in her 80s.
Just anecdotal obviously.
 
No, and I don't know anyone who has. I suppose some folks in other provinces might do so if they have long waits for life threatening problems, but I have never heard of anyone here in BC doing so. Any time I have had a life threatening problem there was no wait at all. I am alive because of no waits.
 
Seconding what Don M said. My in-laws live in Canada, and they find it appalling not only what Americans spend on healthcare, but how so many have NO health coverage at all, leading to more severe illnesses/disabilities because of lack of preventive care. And also the inadequacy of our social services safety net, which contributes to the US's very poor standings in average lifespan. We are ranked so far down we are in company with Third World countries, in fact.

We have over 200 relatives in my spouse's extended family. Not one has ever set foot in the US for healthcare.

Another separate issue: because most hospitals are for-profit chains, they are closing unprofitable hospitals and associated clinics in rural areas and smaller cities, at a rapid rate. Seniors should not assume that moving to a LCOL area will benefit them, because if it takes you hours to get to emergency or access a specialist, that may end up offsetting a low rent or modest property taxes.
 
Lethe200 said:
Seconding what Don M said. My in-laws live in Canada, and they find it appalling not only what Americans spend on healthcare, but how so many have NO health coverage at all, leading to more severe illnesses/disabilities because of lack of preventive care. And also the inadequacy of our social services safety net, which contributes to the US's very poor standings in average lifespan. We are ranked so far down we are in company with Third World countries, in fact.

We have over 200 relatives in my spouse's extended family. Not one has ever set foot in the US for healthcare.

Another separate issue: because most hospitals are for-profit chains, they are closing unprofitable hospitals and associated clinics in rural areas and smaller cities, at a rapid rate. Seniors should not assume that moving to a LCOL area will benefit them, because if it takes you hours to get to emergency or access a specialist, that may end up offsetting a low rent or modest property taxes.
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Well said. One of the most basic things that Canadians DO NOT worry about is....Medical bankruptcy. Across Lake Ontario in New York state, fully 50 percent of all personal bankruptcies are because of medical debt. Canadians don't have that worry. Yes we pay SLIGHTLY higher taxes to support the Provincial health care services, but they are there for everyone to use, regardless of income status. It is a universal system where every one is covered, with no exceptions. If you are a Canadian citizen or a legal immigrant....You are covered. There are no "previous conditions " no "out of network " no co pays, no arguing with a private insurance company about billing . Medical decisions are strictly between me and my Doctor. I can see ANY Doctor that I want, in any part of the Province I live in, at any time I choose. If I am in another part of our vast country, and I am sick or injured, I will receive medical care immediately, with no questions about my ability to pay for it. My Ontario Hospital Insurance Card ( OHIP ) will be accepted and the Hospital will submit a bill to OHIP electronically , which will be paid in 30 days. Is our system perfect ? No it is not, BUT it is miles ahead of what 34 million Americans have, which is no medical insurance at all. Being poor and sick in the USA is sometimes a death sentence, unfortunately. JimB.
 
I think we have established that the Canadian health care system, as is true of most if not all developed countries, is more comprehensive and cost-efficient than that of the US.

The employer-paid US system works well enough (at high cost) for those with good jobs, for those over 66 on Medicare, and for the actual poor on Medicaid. It doesn't work very well at all for the 10 percent or so of those who can't or won't get coverage for whatever reason.

Of course the problem is that we don't have a "system" at all, just a weird patchwork that sprung up during WWII when companies weren't allowed to raise wages. The sensible thing to do would be to start over and just copy the Dutch, German, or Swiss models. There are too many forces at work for that to ever happen, so we'll keep muddling along until the whole thing falls apart.
 
jimintoronto said:
That is correct. Canada has a national prescription drug pricing law. The same drug costs the same amount right across the country. Obviously that lower price is attractive to Americans. Some Americans who live within a few hours drive of the Canadian border come here to have a Canadian Doctor write a script for them and then they go to a Canadian pharmacy and get it filled. The cost in Canada is usually 50 to 80 percent less than the cost in the USA. Other Americans use internet based Canadian pharmacy services, which will accept a US Doctor's written script, fill the order, accept payment by credit card ( in Canadian dollars ) and ship the order to the American customer by UPS or FedEx courier delivery to the American customer's home. JimB.
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So thankful I was able to buy my drugs online from Canada since it saved us thousands. Hopefully, the U.S. will stop allowing big pharma to rob decent Americans of their retirement savings.
 


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