healthcare in Canada vs US

My experience with the American Healthcare system...We have medical, dental, vision, prescription benefits. This is how much we've had to spend on medical expenses (out of pocket) in the last three weeks:Me: yesterday went to the doctor for a cough -
Co-pay for family doctor = $25
Co-pay at MRI office for chest x-ray = $25
Chest x-ray = $65 (diagnosed with bronchitis and prescribed antibiotics)
Antibiotic prescription (5-day) = $47Me: two weeks ago for sinus infection -
co-pay doctor = $25
co-pay MRI office = $25
MRI on sinuses = ? Haven't been billed yet
antibiotics (10-day) = $15
Nasonex = $72 (insurance covered $20 of $92)Son:
co-pays for three doctor visits for ear infection, re-check, and 3-day fever = $75
antibiotics = $12Husband:
family doctor co-pay = $25
high blood pressure prescription = $10TOTAL = $421That is freaking RIDICULOUS in light of the fact that we have insurance. If we didn't make the amount of money we do, we would be suffering with ear infections, bronchitis, sinus infections, and high blood pressure. We normally don't go to the doctor much, but this has been a bad Spring for us.We can barely afford to pay our medical expenses with insurance these days. This is what doctors used to cost BEFORE everyone had insurance. It seems to me that doctors know most people have insurance and hike up the prices accordingly - I mean it's not like the people are actually paying these exhorbitant prices out of pocket, right?Then insurance companies must respond by hiking up their prices and slashing benefits. Remember when co-pays were $5? And everything was included? And prescriptions were $5? HAH!So here we are again in the same place when we were too poor to afford insurance or our jobs were too crappy to provide it - afraid to get hurt and not going to the doctor unless in absolute misery. If no one had insurance, then doctors could NOT charge as much as they do!Fuck social security reform! How about fixing the American healthcare crisis, Mr. Bush?!This message has been edited by roxrkool, 05-20-2005 06:37 PM

That reminds me. I paid $32 for some medication for my son (out of pocket) and that was with insurance convering some of it. A few months later, we were in between insurance companies and had to get the same medication - it was $12. Instead of keeping my mouth shut (in case they made a mistake), I asked them why it was cheaper without insurance. They said it just was. Apparently it has something to do with contract prices.And that shit is legal? grrr!

My parents had to declare bankruptcy after my mother had double bypass surgery a year and a half ago. A $100,000 bill for two older adults with no insurance, my mom retired, and my father out of work.My mother blamed herself, once even saying it would have been better had she died. The stress was killing them. Then the doctor would not see my mother for her check-ups unless she paid $100 up front. It took them over a year of harassing phone calls from bill collectors and their kids suggesting bankruptcy before they went ahead and filed for it. Thankfully they did it before the new laws went into effect.For some people, bankcruptcy is too easy, but for the average hard-working person, bankcruptcy is a very humbling and shameful experience.Now, with only Social Security checks as their retirement package, they are moving to Mexico where they can afford to live (~$500/month for everything) and see doctors without paying an arm and a leg. In fact, the town they built their house in is full of retired Americans.This message has been edited by roxrkool, 05-20-2005 11:06 PM

As far as medical personnel asking you immediately upon arrival whether you have insurance or not and which hospital to go to, that's undeniably true.I have not been to one ER where the reception nurse was more interested in the nature of my visit than whether I/we had insurance or not. That's no exaggeration.