Canadian hippie pinko socialist here....Just wanted to outline one of the major life events in Canada's single payer universal healthcare system for comparison purposes.
My littlest child, my darling pumpkin is going to be three in August.
Here she is in a picture I took just a couple months ago. (she's rather pale too!)
- I suspected I was pregnant and confirmed it with a home pregnancy test, then booked an appt with the doctor the next day.
My own doctor that I chose btw. One of the talking points from the Insurance lobby is that in a socialized system you are not allowed choose your own physician.
At the first visit the doctor also confirms the fact, and fills out the proper forms with questions about health and past history, family history etc...and orders a battery of tests.
When you go to the Dr they will take your medical number off your card. (My clinic knows me and has it on file. I never have to show it there)
Cost: $0
There is no pre pay receipt to send in, or co pay.
Follow up appointments are once a month until the last month, barring there are no complications. I am an older mom (shush!) so I was watched a bit more closely for things that have been an issue for me in the past, including high blood pressure. The last month during a pregnancy, they book weekly visits.
An Ultrasound is requisitioned usually within 6-8 weeks to ensure that things are going properly and that it is not an ectopic pregnancy etc.
Cost: $0
Usually a doctor will not order more of these unless warranted, again I have had complications in past pregnancies and several more were done through the course of the pregnancy, including two in the city. I live in a small community in the stix, so it is a long travel including a ferry to get to specialized care. We have basic ultrasound at our local hospital, which is fine for most things. But the more detailed scans were needed for a particular bone disorder that we were watching for.
Cost: $0
Ferry fare: paid for through a medical assistance travel program. A form can be obtained from the Doctors office with the physicians number on it, and then called into an automated service. They give a confirmation ID number, and then that form is presented at the toll booth at the ferry. (can also be used for bus service in other areas.) There is no need for the patient to lay out the costs to be reimbursed later.
Other tests were offered including amniocentesis, but since I wouldn't actually do anything different if I was found to be carrying a child with Downs or something like that, it seems rather pointless when one considers the risks that are also involved. (Every medical procedure involves some sort of risk.) These tests would have also been cost free.
Gestational diabetes: Diet controlled, I had been to the dietitian during previous pregnancies and there are clinics that one can attend to help with this. I was able to keep almost perfect sugar levels. (Except for one or two pizza nights. Errr and Easter chocolate..Oh baybay!)
There are no costs to attend these clinics, and they will give you a sugar monitor and teach you how to use it properly. Future supplies such as the strips can be reimbursed by pharmacare, by sending in your receipts. This is based on income.
A week before the due date, my water broke but nothing else happened that day. I was booked into the hospital the next day to be induced. (there is a 24 time limit to go into labour, or infection may set in) By noon I was on the drip, by 6:45 that evening I had a beautiful little baby in my arms. 6lbs 6oz, so just right for a week preterm.
There were some complications from something that can be life threatening, it is called placenta previa and a D&C followed. I was also taken by helicopter ambulance to the city as they thought there may need to be an emergency hysterectomy because of some severe hemorrhaging, it was thought that it was best to be in a larger more equipped hospital.
All was ok though.
Total cost for the pregnancy including the ambulance and glucose test strips: About $150.00. I was not made to wait in any lines, all my referrals were almost immediately attended to.
Follow ups: If all is well with baby and mum, there is a follow up once a week for the first couple weeks. We have community nurses who are based at the community Health units, and usually will come to see you in the hospital and arrange to come by the home once a week. (Of course this is voluntary.) They weigh and measure the baby, answer any questions, and also gently monitor whether the mum is having any emotional difficulties such as post partum depression. (THIS IS IMPORTANT to ensure there are no problems and that the baby is thriving. Proactive and preventative care!) Mums are encouraged to call if there are any concerns. This is invaluable for new mothers. I am an old hand at mommyhood, and still had at least three visits.
Immunizations for babe are booked at the health unit to be given by the nurses starting at 18 weeks. (And paid for by healthcare) Every community in my province has a health unit, the nurses also go to schools and talk to the kids about diet, smoking risks, drugs, sexually transmitted diseases and contraception. (There is an opt out for parents to sign if they do not wish for this. Not too many parents do so.)
Canada's infant mortality (5.4 per 1000 births. 2006 numbers.) rate is lower than the US, (6.9 per 1000. 2006 numbers) yet still higher than many other countries. This can possibly be due to the way that infant deaths are classified and recorded.
My family's (Me, my husband and two of my younger children. My older kids are covered under their fathers union paid extended medical/dental.medical) costs are $108.00 per month.
Part of healthcare should be prevention and education, and I would say that this system meets all of that quite nicely.
In a bizarre twist, just as I was writing this; the Doctor's office called to book my yearly physical.
I saw an advertisement paid for by the Insurance industry on CNN the other day that said a woman in Canada was denied a pap test and that she had cancer that was found too late. I have no idea where they got that from, because it's surely not the way Universal healthcare works here in BC at least. (even pap tests that are ordered every six months because cell changes were found in the last one are covered. This I know for sure.) There were a couple incidents where women in New Brunswick were denied a pap test, but that was because of their doctors own religious claptrap. That same old bullshit pops up here too.
And that's about it. I have lived my entire life under this system, and although it is not perfect and is always open to improvement, I would not give it up without a fight.
These are my own experiences here in British Columbia, other people's experiences may differ.
THE AD BELOW WAS NOT PLACED THERE BY ME AND IS BY NO MEANS A PERSONAL ENDORSEMENT OF SEIU. ITS AN ADVERTISEMENT.