Universal health care is awesome

Posted on March 8, 2008
Filed Under Health |

Living in Canada, I have become accustomed to the idea that whenever I need to see a doctor I simply make an appointment (or go to a hospital) and a doctor will seem at no cost. In fact, I had two knee operations to correct torn ACLs and I paid nothing for either of the two. There is also affordable medication much of the cost of which is paid for by the government especially for those with low income. So, I was really surprised about the state of health care in the United States after watching Michael Moore’s documentary Sicko.

It really surprised me that US citizen have to buy their own health insurance and the insurance companies tend to be very difficult when it comes to providing coverage for people who really need it. In addition, it seemed like many of the health insurance companies would look for any excuse to avoid paying a customer’s medical expenses. The United States do have a health care program called Medicare; it covers seeing a physician and going to the hospital. The medicare part d program also provides help with paying for prescription drugs. The only problem is that this program is only available for a small percentage of US citizens. According to the government’s official web site, “Medicare is a Health Insurance Program for people age 65 or older, some disabled people under age 65, and people of all ages with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure treated with dialysis or a transplant.)”

Having good health coverage and knowing that I can always receive the medical attention that I require without having to pay thousands of dollars every year on insurance that may or may not pay my medical expenses is one of the many reasons why I am thankful to live in Canada.

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