Medical Tourism - send the government the bill

Quote: Originally Posted by paullind10

Waiting list are getting so long for soem people they are willing to go to India, Cuba and China to get the medical care they need. For someone in dire need of medical care to go to one of these countries is an indication of the poor services received here (or lack there of).
The latest story from the halifax herald involves a grandmother going to India to get a hip surgury after being told it would be a 2 year wait for an INFERIOR procedure in Nova Scotia. So 10's of thousands of dollars later she gets it done in India, it's an overwhelming success and there's one less person in the 2 year long line in Nova Scotia.
So why can't she give the bill to the government? It will require one person to be the first and they will have a lengthy court battle a head of them, which is enough to discourage most. personally i would be willing to pay a small amount of money to fund her legal bills.
Besides denying her timely care Nova Scotia also prevents any private sector clinic from providing this service, ensuring a monopoly for the unions. It seems union healthcare jobs are more important than those requiring the actual healthcare.
On top of this, it's estimated that the Medical Tourism trip for this hip surgery works out to be less costly than doing it in Nova Scotia even with all the travel expenses ! Why shouldn't the government cover her bills if it would save the tax payer money if done there as well as reduce the...

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Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

Frankly, I think harley has a point. BUT. The 'vacation' argument doesn't address why she shouldn't be able to bill the gov for the medical bills, minus flights/food/etc.

Quote: Originally Posted by lone wolf

In Northern Ontario, it's policy now. The doctor shortage is critical. It's reached the level where Soo Area Hospital is talking about closing their ER. Emergencies will be handled through Saulte Ste Marie Michigan and most electives have to travel here to Sudbury. I can't imagine anyone wanting to go out dancing at Kewadin after hip replacement surgery, or going to a Sabres game following a stent placement.

Woof!

Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

No, but, if I were traveling to India for a hip replacement, I guarantee I'd leave a week early to see the sights. And there's a difference between the gov telling you where they've arranged for you to go, and you deciding, THEN sending the bill to them.

Quote: Originally Posted by harleyhunny

I don't think the medical part of it should be paid for by the government either, remember the government does not pay for a damn thing,it will be the tax payer, and we are tired of footing the bill because someone is cheap, or thinks the world owes them. If you can afford to go elsewhere for surgery, (halfway across the world etc), then you can bloody damn well afford to pay youself the whole bill.
That is what is wrong with Canada, everyone and their damn dog wants a hand out, and someone else to pay, even those that can.

Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

The flaw with that logic is, the government DOES owe us medical care. Timely and effective medical care. We've paid for it. It's not a hand out. In these cases, they're failing to provide what they've already been paid for. I sure as heck wouldn't want to have to put my life on hold for two years while I wait for a new hip, new knee, or some other such thing. That's not fair. And it's further injury to many people's health to have to do that (lack of exercise over two years is a lot).

Quote: Originally Posted by tracy

Unfortunately there are limited clinical training spots for doctors.

According to the Fraser Institute, the median wait time for orthopedic procedures was 38 weeks in 2004 (that's from the time you've been refered to a specialist until you actually get your surgery). It's not great. I don't think it's terrible either. Between 1994 and 2004, the demand for total knee replacements and total hip replacements has increased by 54%. Wait times increased from less than 20 weeks to 37 weeks during that time.

Quote: Originally Posted by tracy

Does the government really have a timeline they have to meet with procedures when waiting doesn't cause harm? My dad needed a knee replacement and didn't wait long at all, but even if he had, it wouldn't have truly affected his health. People who have gotten to the point of needing a joint replacement usually haven't been doing much exercise for a while. He could swim, walk, bike, etc. (not that he would before or after his surgery).

My problem with Canadians is that they think they have put so much money into healthcare when they haven't. We pay WAY less than Americans do and they accept that a good percentage of their population doesn't even have basic insurance. Canadians think that on that much smaller budget we should have way better coverage and in general we don't do too badly thanks to our ability to stretch a buck. But, something still has to give. Waiting times caused by staff shortages are unavoidable given our resources.

Quote: Originally Posted by tracy

I definitely agree that it's an argument that could be made, though I would need to know what level of functionning that woman had. I just don't know what the actual solution is. The problem is only going to get worse as our population ages, and because people today tend to lead more sedentary lives and don't eat particularly well. The combination of those three factors is going to put a tremendous strain on healthcare.

Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

The flaw with that logic is, the government DOES owe us medical care. Timely and effective medical care. We've paid for it. It's not a hand out. In these cases, they're failing to provide what they've already been paid for. I sure as heck wouldn't want to have to put my life on hold for two years while I wait for a new hip, new knee, or some other such thing. That's not fair. And it's further injury to many people's health to have to do that (lack of exercise over two years is a lot).

Quote: Originally Posted by karrie

The flaw with that logic is, the government DOES owe us medical care. Timely and effective medical care. We've paid for it. It's not a hand out. In these cases, they're failing to provide what they've already been paid for. I sure as heck wouldn't want to have to put my life on hold for two years while I wait for a new hip, new knee, or some other such thing. That's not fair. And it's further injury to many people's health to have to do that (lack of exercise over two years is a lot).

Quote: Originally Posted by harleyhunny

...we pay for it ourselves, it is called premiums. ...I would pay to go to the US for surgery, and I would not expect anyone else to pay for my decision. .