You have to be 65 to get on Medicare. We've had almost 4 years where my wife wasn't covered by Teamster insurance because you lose that at 65. (I'm not complaining because we had 42 years of GREAT coverage provided at little cost to us. 30 while working and 12 after I retired at 53.) Right now the wife is paying over 900 a month for CRAP insurance with a $5,000 deductible. Three more months and she can get on Medicare.
im not saying canada's healthcare is the best in the world because i am postive there are many EU countries which do it better than us.
after reading your comment on your wife i want to tell you about the system which i live under.
i live in one of the few provinces where they charge you a monthly fee for healthcare. it is roughly $70 maximum if your employer doesnt cover you. the poorer you get the less you pay. you get free choice of public doctors and hospitals and theres alot of doctors and quite a few hospitals but its not close to perfect. theres no deductible for seeing a doctor / hospital. this doesnt cover dentists, but there might be some inadequate programs for the poor to make it less expensive.
i fractured my foot so i went to a walk in clinic and got an xray done same day. im getting some kind of other scan at the hospital and i had to wait 3 weeks for it. it is a very mild fracture; i used to feel pain when i first stepped on it in the morning, but now its gone.
last year i had to wait a long time to see the nose specialist. like 9 months or something for a chronically plugged nose. this was the longest wait ive ever had for a specialist. usually to see a specialist it takes a few months. i saw him in november and i have surgery end of this month. ive never seen a specialist for an emergency so im not sure how that works. at the emergency room they treat you based on how severe your injury is.
i havent heard too many complaints about our system. my dad had a tumor and got it cut quickly. i remember him complaining about how quick he got kicked out of the hospital i think. my biggest complaint is medicine costs too much, or the monthly fees we pay. my grandma's doctor was negligent, but she had alzheimers and im not sure how all that happened.
canadas healthcare costs roughly as much as the EU countries. americas is by far the most expensive. it would be interesting to know what the effective tax rate is for someone of the same income in both countries. i think you waste alot of tax dollars on war.
and congrats on retiring at 53, i hate capitalism so im glad you escaped at a reasonable age.
