Hey Hoser!! Question about Canadian health care

[STEVENJANNA]

Maybe someone can enlighten me on what the deal is here. I was watching Iceroad Truckers last night and one of the drivers had to go to the ER. Afterwards they made a big deal out of saying how he had a $12,000.00 medical bill and he had to make all these additionals "runs" to catch up because he didn't have health insurance. What's the scoop fella's? Canada has socialized healthcare right? :confused:

[400exchick]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe we're only fully covered within our country (possibly even free healthcare only in our province of residency, a small fee may be charged if you visit the er in another province). Their are limitations to coverage out of country. If we travel we are required to purchase travel health insurance in order to be better covered elsewhere.

[400exrider707]

I was under the impression canadians had free health care.

Haven't you ever seen chappelles show... chappelle for president.... fake canadian ID's! You need some surgery, go on and hop on over the border...

[Kaleigh]

not sure about out of country, I thought I had full coverage anywhere in canada.. 400exchick could be right about a little fee but im not completely sure..

but i know i dont have to pay a dime if anything happens to me here in ontario, cause I was upnorth riding in the trails, crashed and mashed my thumb up.. had to get reconstuctive surgery.. didnt cost me nothing..

I thought that icetroad truckers where in alaska..

[chris46250r]

Same here, I thought it was Alaska.

no their in canada

[STEVENJANNA]

They are out of Yellowknife in the northern territory. What I'm asking about took place in Canada. I thought "free" was what everybody thinks is so great about the social healthcare system.

[Quad18star]

HOSER !!!! Ahhh gotta love Bob and Doug McKenzie . :D

Now ... was the drive a Canadian citizen or was he here working on a work visa ?? If he's a Canadian citizen , MOST of his bills are paid for ... it all depends in what province he was in.

Here in Ontario we are covered by OHIP ( Ontario Health Insurance Plan) , it covers all emergency and doctors visits but there are a few catches.

If you call an ambulance , you'll be charged $45 . If you need things such as crutches , walking casts , any devices ... you have to pay for them. If I go to the Doctors office to have forms filled out ( insurance forms , back to work notes , etc) there are fees that range from $10 and up.

Different provinces have different regulations reguarding their health care system and what is paid and what is not.

The Canadian Health Care system just says that every Canadian Citizen is entitled to free health care with exceptions ( read above) on an equal level . I mean ... if you and I walk into an Emergency department ... I have a broken finger ... you lost an arm ... you'll get treated before me , even if I'm a millionaire and you're a blue collar . You won't lay there bleeding to death because I have the money to pay for " first priority" services.

[STEVENJANNA]

Originally posted by Quad18star
HOSER !!!! Ahhh gotta love Bob and Doug McKenzie . :D

Now ... was the drive a Canadian citizen or was he here working on a work visa ?? If he's a Canadian citizen , MOST of his bills are paid for ... it all depends in what province he was in.



That I do not know.

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by STEVENJANNA
That I do not know.

I'll try and find what the Northwest Territories Health Care System covers ... because honestly I don't have a clue. Like I said , each Province and Territory has it's own rules and regulations.

Did the guy have to get airlifted to a hospital ?? I'm thinking he might have ... if so that could be where the cost comes into effect... especially if he had to get an air lift from a contract company.

I got air lifted form a gravel pit that was about 5 KMs away from the nearest hospital and the cost of the flight was a few thousand dollars. I'm not sure who paid it ( my insurance company or the province) but I didn't have to pay it out of my pocket ..... however I have heard of people that have had to pay it from their account.

[STEVENJANNA]

Originally posted by Quad18star
I'll try and find what the Northwest Territories Health Care System covers ... because honestly I don't have a clue. Like I said , each Province and Territory has it's own rules and regulations.

Did the guy have to get airlifted to a hospital ?? I'm thinking he might have ... if so that could be where the cost comes into effect... especially if he had to get an air lift from a contract company.

I got air lifted form a gravel pit that was about 5 KMs away from the nearest hospital and the cost of the flight was a few thousand dollars. I'm not sure who paid it ( my insurance company or the province) but I didn't have to pay it out of my pocket ..... however I have heard of people that have had to pay it from their account.

Yes he needed to be airlifted. Why do you need to carry additional insurance? Is it for instances like that?
I did some digging, the driver is from Hillsburgh, Ontario.

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by STEVENJANNA
Yes he needed to be airlifted. Why do you need to carry additional insurance? Is it for instances like that?
I did some digging, the driver is from Hillsburgh, Ontario.

Here's what I found ...http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/ohip/amb.html

This is in regards to what OHIP doesn't cover. Taken from the website above.

"If you are a resident of Ontario, and :

your ambulance trip originates outside Ontario
You are responsible for the full cost of the land and/or air ambulance services received.

Land and air ambulance services originating out-of-province are not an insured benefit under OHIP. Residents traveling outside the province are encouraged to utilize private travel health insurance, as some plans offer emergency medical and repatriation transportation for the ill and/or injured"

[Quad18star]

Since my accident and flight originated from Ontario , OHIP covered the cost . If I would have been in Northwest Territories and didn't have additional insurance , then I'd have been stuck with the bill .

I don't have any additional health insurance . My accident was automobile related , so my auto insurance foots the bill for some services that aren't covered.

[STEVENJANNA]

I understand. Thank you for the information. As a citizen of Canada you are only entitled to the full benifits of social healthcare depending on which province you live in and what the rules of that province are. I thought it was straight across the board, Canadien = free healthcare.

[Ghost-Rider]

Why is it that you care about it so much?

[STEVENJANNA]

Originally posted by Ghost-Rider
Why is it that you care about it so much?
I really don't care, but like they say "Knowledge is Power".

[Quad18star]

No problem.

I'm from Ontario , and let's say I go to Alberta and get injured .. no ambulance ride... the Alberta Health Care system will either bill me , or they will submit the bill to the Ontario system .

If they bill me , I can then take the receipts and submit them to the Ontario Health Care System and will get reimbursed for the full cost.

Usually if it's a huge amount , the one government will just submit the bill to the other province instead of getting you to pay it out of pocket . They know they'll get their money anyways.

Oh and medications are the responsibility of the patient ... OHIP doesn't cover it . I found that out the hard way with 1 med that I take every 6 weeks... it comes with a $3500 price tag.

Papers got lost in the mail somewhere and I wasn't approved by the government to have it paid for under a special programs that covers the cost of outragiously priced meds. I got the medication ( which is given by IV) and went down to the pharmacy to pay and found out that I had to pay out of pocket. Good thing I had my Visa card with me , so I slapped it on there. It took me 3 months to get the paperwork sorted out and to be reimbursed for the cost of the medication. Now I make sure I'm covered before it's given to me . LOL

[chris46250r]

Originally posted by Ghost-Rider
Why is it that you care about it so much?

Its called not knowing about something you thought you knew so he asked instead of assuming. Something that should be practiced more often on here.

[Ghost-Rider]

Originally posted by chris46250r
Its called not knowing about something you thought you knew so he asked instead of assuming. Something that should be practiced more often on here.

Didn't ask for the attitude. Just wondered why he wanted to know so much.

[STEVENJANNA]

Originally posted by Ghost-Rider
Didn't ask for the attitude. Just wondered why he wanted to know so much.
Relax there bigfella. I don't think it was personal, just a generalized statement against ignorance. Yes, he's right that's exactly why I wanted the info.

[chris46250r]

Originally posted by Ghost-Rider
Didn't ask for the attitude. Just wondered why he wanted to know so much.

Wasn't giving any attitude. But if it offended you maybe it applies to you also.

[STEVENJANNA]

Since there are certain parties of gov't and even individuals on these forums who believe that Social Healthcare is the cure for the expensive cost of health coverage in this country, I thought it prudent to raise the question.

[chris46250r]

And a good question it was. Alot of that I knew a little about but not very much. All my questions were answered before I could even ask them.

[Quad18star]

I'm here to answer any other questions you all may have. A small fee may apply though. :p

[chris46250r]

Good one! But I wont give no more than 3 cents for your 2 cents worth.

[400exrider707]

A $45 ambulance ride! Jeesh my buddy could have saved thousands last year! A 20 minute ride cost him nearly $500 and it happened more than once! We now dont bother with an ambulance unless its really serious, and broken bones are not really serious, you have your buddy drive you!

[chris46250r]

After my dad took his ride in one after his heart attack and saw the bill, he said if they charge everybody that much they can afford to put air ride on that *******!

[JOEX]

Originally posted by Quad18star
I'm here to answer any other questions you all may have. A small fee may apply though. :p
Just bill my Government... you can pad the bill too if you want:p

Originally posted by STEVENJANNA
Since there are certain parties of gov't and even individuals on these forums who believe that Social Healthcare is the cure for the expensive cost of health coverage in this country, I thought it prudent to raise the question.

sorry to intrude on the thread, but i just wanted to say that the u.s. already has some socialized programs, and they seem to be going just fine. so why wouldn't we socialize our health care too?

[Pappy]

in 2005 my 10 day stay cost my insurance company $70,000...no surgury just tests and care

2 weeks ago i broke my foot and toe. bill came today, $900....2 xrays and an ace bandage.


i am not for socialized health care in the USA until i see a proven track record of good management. if anyone thinks the government can run it, go visit a few of the VA hospitals....or your local DMV

i have two local hospitals, 1 is worthless, city morgue is its nickname. the other is still a rural country locale. when i asked if i needed a cast or anything for my foot, the doctor stated its cheaper to buy a foot boot from the local pharmacy or walmart then for them to give me one:huh he went on to chat about city doctors playing the system with many unneeded tests to run up the bill they hand off to your insurance company.

i wish someone would come along and fix it all.

sorry not trying to argue. but isn't our police force and fire departments socialized programs?

[Pappy]

Originally posted by melsab
sorry not trying to argue. but isn't our police force and fire departments socialized programs?

in a sense yes, but have you ever seen what a cop or firefighter gets paid, or how the inner city has tremendous issues with response and care from ems and police?

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by JOEX
Just bill my Government... you can pad the bill too if you want:p

WOW ... I had just typed the most sophisticated paragraphs in years .. went to hit reply and the website screwed up . :(

My fingers are too tired to retype it all now . :confused:

The site has been giving me a lot of problems lately ... ANyone else?

[Ghost-Rider]

Was down yesterday.

[JOEX]

Originally posted by Quad18star
WOW ... I had just typed the most sophisticated paragraphs in years .. went to hit reply and the website screwed up . :(

My fingers are too tired to retype it all now . :confused:

The site has been giving me a lot of problems lately ... ANyone else?
It's OK, i'll just use my imagination to see what you typed, it can be quite vivid at times:macho :uhoh:

[chris46250r]

Originally posted by Quad18star
WOW ... I had just typed the most sophisticated paragraphs in years .. went to hit reply and the website screwed up . :(

My fingers are too tired to retype it all now . :confused:

The site has been giving me a lot of problems lately ... ANyone else?

Thats happened to me a few times, and I cant type. I'm a two finger warrior. Nothing like being at work and dropping the f bomb in the office and everybody looking at you.

[Pappy]

server issues. they are being addrssed but the new server is full already or some **** like that

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by chris46250r
Thats happened to me a few times, and I cant type. I'm a two finger warrior. Nothing like being at work and dropping the f bomb in the office and everybody looking at you.

Ya I'm a 2 finger typer too .... I mean I had about 6 paragraphs written ... hands were cramped to hell and I should have copied all the text before submitting . Lessons learned . :grr:


Joe ... don't use too much imagination ... I mean it was sophisticated , but nothing to make your brain over work . I try and use simple words ... sophisticated is probably the most elaborate word I've used in years ... or maybe elaborate is the most sophisticated word .... who knows ... I confused myself now !!! ;)

But basically what I typed in a nut shell , was that a health care system works in Canada because we have 35 million people as opposed to 300 millions.

Doctors and health centers are being audited constently to insure that money is being spent and issued on services that are actually provided .

The Federal Government has a certain budget that it dispurses to the provincial governments for health care needs. Money is split up depending on the # of people living in the province or territory.

Health care is always a huge issue when elections roll around because the majority of Canadians want to keep our National health care system . By 2015 , 70% of Canadians will be considered senior citizens ( ie. 65 years or over) and will be living off CPP ( Canadian Pension Plan) and would not be able to afford the services if they had to pay out of pocket.

I'd have been bankrupt 3 years ago if I had to pay for the medical expenses related to my accident .

If anyone wants me to elaborate more on any one of those topics let me know.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by Quad18star

But basically what I typed in a nut shell , was that a health care system works in Canada because we have 35 million people as opposed to 300 millions.



a point most americans fail to even consider, its easier to just compare us to canada without any knowledge of what the differences are.

[Quad18star]

Oh ... and I forgot to add , that even though we pay directly into the Health system , the governments find their way of making the money.

How much do you pay in sales tax when you buy something ??

My guess is that it's a lot less than the 14% that we pay here in Ontario . 7% Goods and Services Tax .... 8% Provincial Sales Tax :ermm:

[JOEX]

Originally posted by Quad18star
Oh ... and I forgot to add , that even though we pay directly into the Health system , the governments find their way of making the money.

How much do you pay in sales tax when you buy something ??

My guess is that it's a lot less than the 14% that we pay here in Ontario . 7% Goods and Services Tax .... 8% Provincial Sales Tax :ermm:
No sales tax here in Oregon:) But property and income tax make up for it...

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by Pappy
a point most americans fail to even consider, its easier to just compare us to canada without any knowledge of what the differences are.

Exactly .

There's more people that live in California than all of Canada.

California is approx 164 000 square miles ..... Canada is approx 3.9 million square miles . :p

Man they must be jammed like sardines in Calif.

[Pappy]

greg, go check a thread for you in the open forum...lol

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by JOEX
No sales tax here in Oregon:) But property and income tax make up for it...

Damn , must be nice to pay no sales tax . Whenever I buy parts , I usually try and buy out of Province. If I order from Quebec , I only pay 7% tax. :D

As for income tax and property taxes , I don't even keep track anymore .... it just comes off the pay directly and well the property taxes just come out of the bank account . LOL

Actually on the house I'm living in right now ... built in the 1950s , approx 800 sq/ft .. valued at approx $150 000 on a 75x125 foot lot , we pay in or around $1900 in property taxes. Local government said it's being raised another 4% for next year . :macho

If you're good with math , you can maybe figure the percentages out . On a $975.75 pay cheque , $41.74 was deducted for CPP , $18.25 was for Employment Insurance ( Welfare), $133.10 for Federal Income Tax.

That's on one of my girlfriend's cheques and she's listed as a Low Income because she's still in University. If she wasn't she'd pay a higher %.

[JOEX]

Quick breakdown for me...

Fed. income tax
Social security tax
Medicare tax
=18.5%

State income tax
Workers benefit fund (unemployment pay I think)
=6.5%

Property tax on a slightly smaller house and lot is about $1100

But our dollars and your dollars are different;)

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by JOEX
Quick breakdown for me...

Fed. income tax
Social security tax
Medicare tax
=18.5%

State income tax
Workers benefit fund (unemployment pay I think)
=6.5%

Property tax on a slightly smaller house and lot is about $1100

But our dollars and your dollars are different;)

Not bad , not bad.

Have you checked the dollar values lately ?? I almost chit myself the other day when I saw it. The Canadian dollar was at 96cents to the American dollar . Highest it's been in over a few decades .

Great time to convert money or buy from the USA ... crappy times for the Canadian economy. Bank of Canada had to raise interest rates 1/2 a percent to help the economy. :grr:

[JOEX]

Originally posted by Quad18star
Not bad , not bad.

Have you checked the dollar values lately ?? I almost chit myself the other day when I saw it. The Canadian dollar was at 96cents to the American dollar . Highest it's been in over a few decades .

Great time to convert money or buy from the USA ... crappy times for the Canadian economy. Bank of Canada had to raise interest rates 1/2 a percent to help the economy. :grr:
I don't know much aboot:p the exchange rate other than things generally cost 'more' up there.

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by JOEX
I don't know much aboot:p the exchange rate other than things generally cost 'more' up there.

Things are aboot to change my friend !! :blah:

Actually you're right ... we generally get screwed on the cost of most things . But when you grow up paying that price it seems like a decent price ... it only really comes into reality when I travel to the USA and notice that the prices are less than 50% of what we pay up here . That's usually when I come home and get pissed off paying over $3 for a carton of milk . :mad:


Since you're a chef , I'm gunna test your knowledge on Canadian Food . What's one of the most popular Canadian dishes , that originates from Quebec and is usually served with a hamburger or alone ?? :p

[JOEX]

Originally posted by Quad18star
Things are aboot to change my friend !! :blah:

Actually you're right ... we generally get screwed on the cost of most things . But when you grow up paying that price it seems like a decent price ... it only really comes into reality when I travel to the USA and notice that the prices are less than 50% of what we pay up here . That's usually when I come home and get pissed off paying over $3 for a carton of milk . :mad:


Since you're a chef , I'm gunna test your knowledge on Canadian Food . What's one of the most popular Canadian dishes , that originates from Quebec and is usually served with a hamburger or alone ?? :p
The only Canadian food I know about is bacon and whiskey:devil:

Google search on the way!:D

[JOEX]

Poutine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine)

Depening on the pronunciation it could be a favorite dish of most males:devil:

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by JOEX
The only Canadian food I know about is bacon and whiskey:devil:

Google search on the way!:D

HAHAHA !!! You have 2 out of 3 of the best Canadian foods down . The 3rd is an artery clogger.

One of the main ingredients is cheese curds . ( this is a dead give away)

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by JOEX
Poutine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine)

Depening on the pronunciation it could be a favorite dish of most males:devil:

Ya Ya Ya ... now you got it !!!! LOL

Ever try it ?? The meal I'm talking about . :p

[JOEX]

Originally posted by Quad18star
Ya Ya Ya ... now you got it !!!! LOL

Ever try it ?? The meal I'm talking about . :p
Never heard of it but it sounds good! Just like the other version.. if it tastes good it's probably bad for you:devil:

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by JOEX
Never heard of it but it sounds good! Just like the other version.. if it tastes good it's probably bad for you:devil:

Never heard of it ??? :eek:

If you ever have a chance , find a place that makes them , or make one yourself .... so simple to do.

French fries ... a good tasting gravy ( thick) and white cheese curds .

Lay down 1 layer of fries .. add cheese curds .. add gravy . Put another layer of fries , curds , gravy . Do it as many times as you want. DELICIOUS !!!!!

If any of you guys ever come up this way, I'll be sure to introduce you to Poutine and Beaver Tails . Ha!!! Betcha don't know what a Beaver Tail is , now do ya?? :devil:

[JOEX]

Originally posted by Quad18star
Never heard of it ??? :eek:

If you ever have a chance , find a place that makes them , or make one yourself .... so simple to do.

French fries ... a good tasting gravy ( thick) and white cheese curds .

Lay down 1 layer of fries .. add cheese curds .. add gravy . Put another layer of fries , curds , gravy . Do it as many times as you want. DELICIOUS !!!!!

If any of you guys ever come up this way, I'll be sure to introduce you to Poutine and Beaver Tails . Ha!!! Betcha don't know what a Beaver Tail is , now do ya?? :devil:
Being from the Beaver State you'd think i'd know that one:p Had to look it up...

We call tham Elephant ears down here;) Maybe the farther south you go the bigger they get.. wonder what Texans call them:blah:

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by JOEX
Being from the Beaver State you'd think i'd know that one:p Had to look it up...

We call tham Elephant ears down here;) Maybe the farther south you go the bigger they get.. wonder what Texans call them:blah:

LMAO .

Texas is probably something along the lines of Rodeo Bull (insert body part here) .

First time I ever had a Beaver Tail was when I went to Ottawa with an ex-girlfriend . Keep in mind , I hadn't a clue what Beaver Tail was except for my perverted thoughts. Her exact words while we were laying on a couch were " Do you want to eat a Beaver Tail" . I swear I was about 3 seconds away from ripping off my clothes thinking I was gunna get a little something-something . She then pulls out a menu from a local restaurant and shows me what it was . Total disappointment and very false advertising !!!! :grr:

[JOEX]

Originally posted by Quad18star
LMAO .

Texas is probably something along the lines of Rodeo Bull (insert body part here) .

First time I ever had a Beaver Tail was when I went to Ottawa with an ex-girlfriend . Keep in mind , I hadn't a clue what Beaver Tail was except for my perverted thoughts. Her exact words while we were laying on a couch were " Do you want to eat a Beaver Tail" . I swear I was about 3 seconds away from ripping off my clothes thinking I was gunna get a little something-something . She then pulls out a menu from a local restaurant and shows me what it was . Total disappointment and very false advertising !!!! :grr:
LMAO!

Bet you were 3 seconds from finishing too:devil:

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by JOEX
LMAO!

Bet you were 3 seconds from finishing too:devil:

D'OH !!!!!!!!:cuss:

With that being said ... I'm off to bed .

[STEVENJANNA]

Originally posted by Quad18star
Never heard of it ??? :eek:

If you ever have a chance , find a place that makes them , or make one yourself .... so simple to do.

French fries ... a good tasting gravy ( thick) and white cheese curds .

Lay down 1 layer of fries .. add cheese curds .. add gravy . Put another layer of fries , curds , gravy . Do it as many times as you want. DELICIOUS !!!!!

If any of you guys ever come up this way, I'll be sure to introduce you to Poutine and Beaver Tails . Ha!!! Betcha don't know what a Beaver Tail is , now do ya?? :devil:

No wonder you need social healthcare!!!!:eek2:

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by STEVENJANNA
No wonder you need social healthcare!!!!:eek2:

It's one of those treats that you eat once a month, or else you'll have a heart attack in no time if you ate it every day.

Actually had one lastnight for dinner .... soooooooo goooood !!!:D

[400exchick]

Originally posted by Quad18star
Damn , must be nice to pay no sales tax . Whenever I buy parts , I usually try and buy out of Province. If I order from Quebec , I only pay 7% tax. :D


Actually on the house I'm living in right now ... built in the 1950s , approx 800 sq/ft .. valued at approx $150 000 on a 75x125 foot lot , we pay in or around $1900 in property taxes. Local government said it's being raised another 4% for next year . :macho

If you're good with math , you can maybe figure the percentages out . On a $975.75 pay cheque , $41.74 was deducted for CPP , $18.25 was for Employment Insurance ( Welfare), $133.10 for Federal Income Tax.

That's on one of my girlfriend's cheques and she's listed as a Low Income because she's still in University. If she wasn't she'd pay a higher %.

When you buy out of province (if it's a fairly decent valued item such as furnitur for example) you're supposed to declare the purchase on your income tax. So we still get pinched.

You've got a heck of a low property tax bill. The bungalow I just moved into cost me over $1400 in property taxes (and that's only from may-dec.) Valued at $71,000. 910 sq. ft, no basement. Plus I don't even own the land, building only.


Percentages on income tax all vary depending on the annual salary. The higher you're being paid the more they deduct. I've got a chart here somewhere from my accounting course.. depressing when you really start examining it. Obviously other factors come into play, just thought I'd put a side note to your comment.