Canada Medicare System

The following stories are from average Canadians (or ex-Canadians) that have experiences to share on our Medicare system. We all have had experiences with the Canadian health system, whether good or bad or perhaps somewhere in between. How did Canada Medicare treat you? Do you feel like it failed you? Did it help you?

If you have a story to share we would love to hear about it. Please submit it (comment link above) or contact us and we will submit it for you. As well if you have a medical story to share from another country please share it with us. Please take some time to read through the experiences from average Canadians like you and I.

New Brunswick will become one of the few provinces in Canada to change legislation to allow pharmacists to play a greater role in patient prescriptions. Under proposed changes recently announced, pharmacists would be able to provide refills without having to consult with the doctor, and also will be able to alter a patient's prescription or prescribe new medications for minor conditions. People who have a pre-existing condition with an established diagnosis from their doctor, such as allergies, asthma, diabetes or high cholesterol, would be able to see their pharmacist about receiving prescriptions from a doctor. Similar rules are already in place in Alberta and other provinces are in looking at moving in this direction. Pharmacists would be limited in what they could prescribe. They would only assign new medications for minor problems such as cough, colds and skin rashes. Plans are to have this implemented this autumn.

This is in place now in Alberta, and it's in the works now in British Columbia, P.E.I., and Nova Scotia. But some medical associations and experts fear the expanded role placed on pharmacists could set a dangerous precedent. Many physicians agree it makes sense to let pharmacists refill prescriptions as long as a patient's health has not changed. However, they worry about the possibility that pharmacists will start to prescribe new medications on an increasing basis.

This would certainly alleviate some of the problems associated with the doctor shortage in New Brunswick and the rest of the country. This would eliminate a lot of visits to the after hours clinics as well. The change will improve access to care and could encourage more pharmacists to move to New Brunswick. This should save the Canadian Medicare system money. However, this legislation would put a greater responsibility on the pharmacists as well as them requiring further training.

Comments by Sabine

I lived in Europe for half of my life and the other half I spent living across Canada. I have seen and experienced a mighty lot over the years and indeed, our (Canada’s) Health Care System is crumbling large. But, our own society is to blame for it to go that far, since we allowed it from the beginning, due to lack of the set up for it in the first place. Then we also gave many capable people a fine education in Canada, only to see them wandering out to other places out of country for bigger money. Now we have politicians ceasing our possibility to receive the care we so well require, yet they continue to poison us with other things that harm us all and set up stupid laws, instead of getting the real harmfull things eliminated. Believe it or not, people in Canada are so more stressed, than people in Europe. Europe has a great health system, that entitles people to receive paid health vacations and childcare. They know, that if your body is healthy, you can perform better and more. This is one thing, that Canada still has to realize, that we can not buy our health, but create it instead.

I had my fair share sitting in an emergency room for about 3 hours with a non properly breathing child in Victoria, since 2:00 AM in the morning, while not even a nurse bothered to check on him. After we went through triage, I do remember it so well, since I eventually lost my passions and named the emergency ward a “morge” instead, that time out loud. Believe me, they suddenly paid attention. I find it ridiculous, that people have to be on such a long waiting list for certain things, that we are lacking on health professionals and the meds that cost more than a house in some parts of Canada. It would be easier to shop on the black market for some things and get a growers permit for drugs that they call illegal, than getting a proper health care setting. Also, I learned that some of the different government agencies provide paid stress vacation to their employees. A social worker gets every second week paid by the department - stress leave for a week, while the person who applies for help there, gets a kick in the head!

In my Opinion:
#1- The politicians should have to use our regular offered health care facilities, and have the right to be placed also on the waiting list like the rest of us.
#2- Any Canadian that was educated in the health care system, would have to albeit to a least a 10 year contract, having to give their acquired practice in a Canadian Institution of Health.
#3- Health Care and it's insurance should be governed equally across Canada and the age limitation for health and dental care for children should be brought back up to 18 years of Age.
#4 -Seniors should not have to pay for any health care after age 75.
#5 - Reduce stress on people, let the poor guy smoke if he/she likes. They are less (likely) to become ill. Then, when they are forced to stay out in the cold, ensuring to get a kidney infection or else. Besides, they seem to live longer, than the ones that do not smoke.

In the 1960s the Canadian government introduced the Medicare system, as we know it today. This stemmed from the Saskatchewan Government, led by leader Tommy Douglas, introducing the first provincial hospital insurance program In Canada in 1947. In the last 40 years the fundamentals of the system have not changed drastically but we certainly are seeing major flaws in the system that has been described by many as Canada’s national treasure.

The Canadian Medicare system is not a system that provides 100% coverage. We still need to pay for prescription drugs in most cases. Dental and eye care are mostly provided by the private sector. We need to pay for certain medical procedures as well. But the positive thing about the system is that if we have catastrophic illnesses or need to see a doctor we are not denied based on income. There is certainly much debate going on how to improve the system, whether private services should be allowed, whether user fees should be implemented and other issues. Many people are against privatization of basic services and numerous attempts at introducing user fees proved not to work.

There is certainly a lot of abuse in the system. Some patients abuse the system, a few doctors are abusing the system, and large pharmaceutical companies play a factor on how healthcare is delivered. There is one known fact about the Canadian Medicare system, which some overlook and take for granted. Canada’s Medicare system is not free. It is paid for by hardworking Canadians like you and I in the form of taxes. We also have high taxes on liquor and tobacco to offset the cost of disease that these products have been known to cause on society.

So how do we save our system? Do we sanction services and hospital rooms? This appears to be happening in many cases these days. That is why some are without doctors and have to wait extremely long for surgery. The Ontario Medical Association recently reported there are 850,000 people in the province who do not have a family doctor.
Some are sent home from the emergency room due to lack of beds. Many are not diagnosed properly and in some cases have lost their lives eventually.

Do we impose user fees? User fees have been tried numerous times and have not worked. User fees are prohibited by the Canada Health Act and roundly dismissed by Canadian health economists and policy analysts. Despite the nearly universal rejection of user fees by Canadian experts, the idea of patient cost sharing is alive and well in other countries.

Do we increase taxes? Canadians are already one of the most heavily taxed societies on the planet and extremely high taxes can have a negative effect on the economy. Do we promote a healthier lifestyle? Many groups and organizations are preaching healthy lifestyles and with the information available now we are beginning to notice the benefits.

There are many ideas and because the system is so complex, there are different approaches that need to be studied and put into place. One thing is certain; it is going to take a collective effort by government officials and input by all Canadians to make this system work. We all need to share our ideas and do our part to save one of key icons that makes us proud to be Canadian.

In Canada, and in all of North America in fact, large pharmaceutical companies dictate the way our Medicare system works. These large pharmaceutical corporations heavily influence doctors, in many cases. Large drug companies have been known to bribe physicians to prescribe their drugs. Pharmaceutical companies offer doctors perks and incentives to prescribe their products. We have evolved into a system where, in a lot of cases, our medical system wants patients to take drugs and more drugs to alleviate and relieve symptoms of disease but not tackle the root of the problem to prevent and cure diseases at times.

Ten years ago I was very sick myself with Crohns disease. I had a specialist who only was concerned with prescribing drugs and doing studies on which drugs were more effective for treating different symptoms of the disease. I was getting sicker every week and he was prescribing different drugs to try. At one time I was even taking steroids. I asked him what effect diet, exercise and stress would have on Crohns disease and he quickly changed the subject. He didn’t have the time nor did he want to discuss anything that wasn’t drug therapy. I was very sick at the end of this ordeal and almost paid with my life. I ended up getting surgery to remove a portion of my lower bowel. I even had to fight to get surgery on time to save my life. I did slowly get somewhat better even though I still have a mild case of Crohns.

I have found out over time how preventive medicine is the best way to fight off disease. I have found out the hard way how toxic the typical North American diet is these days. We seem to take the band-aid approach to our healthcare. We don’t want to change our destructive habits but just have our hand out waiting for our next prescription from the doctor to help us feel better and control the disease. It seems to be a win, win situation for the patient, the doctor and of course the pharmaceutical companies. Let’s face it, in some cases pharmaceutical companies are not always interested in having a complete cure of some diseases. They would lose money if certain diseases were completely eradicated. The most profitable scenario for them is to have a sick society and keep on prescribing drugs. North Americans are hooked on painkillers, anti-depressants and many other various medications meaning billions of dollars per year for pharmaceutical companies. A new report by the The Canadian Institute for Health Information estimates drug spending in Canada reached $27-billion in 2007 — up from $25-billion the year before. Spending on prescription drugs accounted for $22.5-billion, or 84 per cent of drug spending in 2007. New Brunswick spent the most per capita on drugs last year, while the Northwest Territories spent the least.

I am a believer in the holistic approach to medicine and preventing and curing diseases by a healthy lifestyle like a proper diet, exercise and reducing stress. I am not against prescription drugs when used wisely, however a drastic approach to how we prevent and treat diseases is needed if we wish to save our Medicare system as we know it.

What I find amusing it that the federal government and provincial government can make sure that your taxes are taken right out of your paycheck each week like clock work. However, if you are a working person in this country, and you need basic medical care, I must say that it can be rather hard to obtain. I have a hernia and cannot afford to take the time off work right now to spend all day or more in the hospital emergency care waiting room. So, I thought, I would call the Medical Clinics that are set up here in Saint John, New Brunswick. It is humorous (in a derogatory kind of way) because they have it set up so that you can call to make an appointment at 11:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. and only for that day can you makes an appointment. (It is kind of like calling your local radio station to win tickets for a concert). Most people that work all day don’t have time for this nonsense. So you get your fingers all warmed up and have the number on speed dial and you call and call and call, only to get a busy single again and again and again. I know this because I have been calling for a week now. I have been trying since May 02/2008 and I am going to keep this blog updated on my adventures of trying to get to see a doctor. It is now day 7. How can a working class person use this system? I would have to call morning and evening at my place of work, and when I get in would have to take the appointment for fear it may take who knows how long to get it again. This is not healthcare. It is a disgrace and slap in the face

A major cause of rising health care costs is people abusing the system. Or is it?
This seems to be one of the most accepted beliefs in our country. We claim that because of abuse by patients we are paying more for Medicare. I myself have said it as well, however after some research I am looking differently on the whole topic. Patients don't write their own prescriptions, book their own tests, schedule themselves for a series of follow-up appointments, or admit themselves to hospital for surgery. People normally go to the doctor because they think something is wrong, not because their idea of fun is sitting in a waiting room for a couple of hours, or much longer. I am sure there are people abusing the system; but first, let’s stop the enablers of that, such as the doctors and medical professionals that are making money off our healthcare system. The real abusers of the system are the ones getting money from it. If I get paid to see you for one appointment, and paid for every appointment after that, I guess I would do the same as well. I would have you back as many times as I could as well. So what needs to be done?

The system we have now is a single tier Medicare system that is in desperate need of reform. Why? Patients are suffering and dying waiting for care. The lack of action on part of the government is doing nothing more then making the transition from public healthcare to a Private one rather easy. If you had many experiences with the present system it is not hard to understand why. The Canadian Medical Association supports the principle that when timely access to care cannot be provided by the public health-care system the patient should be able to utilize private health insurance to reimburse the cost of care obtained by the private sector. At this point, they are now paying for private care to ease the burden on the public system. I cannot see this as the future response to the problem. Eventually, we will need to get some type of insurance to pay for this ourselves.
At first, the Private system will seem to have many benefits for us. Response time will be amazing and the care we receive will be great. What will happen when it comes time for us to pay the bill ourselves? Will Canadians be able to afford healthcare? What will happen to the middle class income? It would be good if they lower our taxes to compensate that we have to pay for our own healthcare. But will that happen? The government will keep taking our hard earned dollars and we will be forced to pay for insurance. I am all for private healthcare if the taxes decrease in reflection to paying for our own healthcare. However, I am very skeptical of that happening. We will end up paying for insurance and our inflated taxes will keep coming out of our paychecks.

There are many unanswered questions that need to be asked on this topic. Please post your concerns and comments.