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charlene · 02-16-2011, 05:44 PM

OUr health care is paid for from taxes so those who have worked/lived and paid taxes for most of their lives aren't keen on people showing up and having the same care for 'nothing'. Immigration involves 'giving' to the country as well as 'taking' from it.
Actually right now there's a push to stop immigrant families from sponsoring their elderly (and sometimes ill) parents from reuniting and living here with them because of the enormous cost of the health care money that could possibly go to other things like education etc.
There are problems with our health care in the big cities regarding wait times in ER, some surgeries take months to be done due to no times to have diagnostics done and shortage of operating rooms. Beds in hospitals have been shut down due to shortage of nurses because there's no money to pay them. Therefore surgeries are delayed. It's true there are horror stories. But then there are, for the most part good stories. It's a complex, huge issue that governments are trying to solve.
From my personal experiences I have had no problems. Health insurance through an employer helps cover prescriptions etc. Low income people and people on disability are provided medical and dental services.
It's not a perfect system but it doesn't allow for anyone to feel they can't get health care, including visitors to the country.

02-16-2011, 05:44 PM	#2
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 16,001	Re: Canadian Health Care OUr health care is paid for from taxes so those who have worked/lived and paid taxes for most of their lives aren't keen on people showing up and having the same care for 'nothing'. Immigration involves 'giving' to the country as well as 'taking' from it. Actually right now there's a push to stop immigrant families from sponsoring their elderly (and sometimes ill) parents from reuniting and living here with them because of the enormous cost of the health care money that could possibly go to other things like education etc. There are problems with our health care in the big cities regarding wait times in ER, some surgeries take months to be done due to no times to have diagnostics done and shortage of operating rooms. Beds in hospitals have been shut down due to shortage of nurses because there's no money to pay them. Therefore surgeries are delayed. It's true there are horror stories. But then there are, for the most part good stories. It's a complex, huge issue that governments are trying to solve. From my personal experiences I have had no problems. Health insurance through an employer helps cover prescriptions etc. Low income people and people on disability are provided medical and dental services. It's not a perfect system but it doesn't allow for anyone to feel they can't get health care, including visitors to the country.