Originally posted by TKO@Jun 24 2004, 06:09 PM
Canadas health care system is the best system in world. I could not imagine having to pay for every single visit, surgery or doctors appointment I go to. Most ppl in Canada have some type of insurance like Blue Cross which covers ambulance costs. The ppl who don' t well they still do have to shell out quite a bit of money for a ambulance trip. Every company charges different pickup rates....usually a $250 pickup charge then by the kilometer after that. At one the ambulance services i worked at we were 2 and a half hours from the center we were transporting to and that trip came to approximatly $1000.00
The hospitals in Saskatchewan are all mostly good. There is the odd older hospital that isnt in the greatest shape but that is hard to come by. Health care is a top priority here. Many smaller communities are having new hospitals built with more advanced equipment being available. The two main centers in Saskatchewan are Saskatoon which has three large hospitals(one teaching) and then Regina has two hospitals.
We are all proud of our health care system!
One question I have for all of you below us is ...since you have to pay for stuff like surgeries and delivers...let's say someone who does not have any money is having a baby...who pays for it ?? How does your system work?
I am always open to any questions, this place rocks!! 
Once again, very interesting stuff.
If someone needs to deliver a baby, or have urgent surgery, it will be done at the hospital no matter what, no person will be denied. That said, if you're in a trauma but stable, or not literally pushing the baby out, they're going to want to send you to another hospital.
Many people on government assistance get pushed around, from hospital to hospital, and thats where our BLS transport is often used. If the person has absolutely no insurance, they'll be billed for the procedure. I've heard delivering a baby costs around $10,000+. The bill will just get sent to collections.
Usually we get called to transport a patient from the best hospital in our county (Sixth largest in the country they say), to a facility in Detroit. The patients absolutely hate it, becauuse they know their level of care will be horrible in comparison. A patient can refuse transport, and they will have to be treated by the hospital. Many people who have been through the system before, and without insurance, most likely in huge debt, will just refuse transport.
I'll never forget the patient I had my first day of work. He was probably 21 years old, had cancer, and spent most of his life in the hospital. I went to scan his bracelet with the barcode reader, and it showed he had been in the hospital hundreds of times. He was now there for a mid-shaft femur fracture. Everyone in the ER and hospital knew him, and he knew he would be sent to some hospital in Detroit to be treated, he was without insurance. The nurse made a half-hearted attempt to tell him that he would be sent via ambulance to a hospital in Detroit. He refused, and she said "I would too." Since then this has happened countless times. Nursing staff, knowing they most likely wont get paid for the treatment they provide, still want to provide the best care for the patient.
It's a tough situation. We transport Psych patients all the time without insurance. I know they're going to get a bill for a couple hundred dollars, and I know they're not going to pay it, but I seriously don't care. Our system needs reform, and it's the doctors, nurses, medical staff, and mostly the patient that suffers.
Bush is promoting healthcare for everyone in Iraq. I'd rather see it here.
), but I think that a government sponsored/funded healthcare program has several drawbacks. Also, I don't mean to offend anybody, but I feel that this is an important discussion.