Former resident share experiences with Canadian medical system

I had something in the paper last week regarding the scare tactics that we see on our TV. I am sure many of you have seen the ads defending our present medical system and saying if we back our government in any change we are headed, slowly and agonizingly, for the final pine box. Canada is used as an example if we try to change our system - people unable to choose their doctor, people dying in hospital halls, and one horror story after another, that our friends from the north must endure.

I hate scare tactics so I decided to check with a man in Canada about the validity of the information I was hearing. Last week’s column was an interview with Stan Harder, who lives in Alberta, Canada.  I received a few calls from friends wanting to know if I knew Stan personally. My answer was “no.” I decided it might be wise to talk to someone I did know and trusted. I chose two people to interview. The first was Ken Payne, who was born and raised in Sandpoint. He later moved to Cranbrook, married a Canadian girl, raised a family, and is now an American citizen with permanent resident status in Canada. Many of you know Ken. The second person I talked to was my daughter, Dawn Gunter Lavallee, who lived in Sandpoint, married a Canadian, raised a family, and has lived in St. Paul, Alberta, for 25 years and is now an American citizen with a permanent resident status in Canada.

Folks, I am not in the medical business. I am not selling Canadian insurance, and I have no idea what would be best for the United States. I am just tired of being handed a bill of goods from people who say they have my interest at heart but whose whole motivation is rooted in human greed. We get enough of that from that bunch of “public servants” in Washington. I want to share with you what I heard from the two people I know and trust. 

Kenny Payne

Question: Ken, when you want to go to a doctor can you choose your own doctor?

Ken: Yes

Question: How long does it usually take to get an appointment?

Ken: My personal doctor had surgery and he is recovering from that. He usually works a week and takes a week or two off. To see him, it may take me two weeks. If I needed to get in sooner, I could always get an appointment with the on-call doctor and it doesn’t take long to get in.

Question: After you get in the doctor’s office what is the usual wait time.

Ken: I have never had to wait longer than 15 to 20 minutes; 20 minutes at the most.

Question: Have you ever been refused service or prescriptions because they were too expensive?

Ken: No.

Question: I was told that surgeries in Canada are done by degree of emergency. That is, if you wanted cosmetic surgery you would be far back on the list in relationship to someone who is experiencing a real emergency. Is that true?

Ken: Yes. Here is a case in point. My wife, Carol, had a liver transplant. She was on a waiting list but they always take the person that is sicker first. She was on the list for a while but when it came down to a crunch when she had to have it done, it didn’t take long to get it through.

Question: Are you satisfied with your medical care?

Ken: Oh yea, I think it is good. I have nothing to say bad about it at all; I am happy. I would have been a financially broke man if I had been somewhere else and she had to have a liver transplant.

My dad lived in Bonners Ferry, he had an aneurysm, he was in the hospital for wuite a long time, and his bill was over $80,000. He had supplemental insurance and that helped some but there was still quite a sum left for my stepmother to pay. The doctors wrote some of it off so my stepmom did not lose her house.

Question: Are you satisfied with the cost?

Ken: Yes. Here is how it works for me. I had medical coverage when I worked for the school board and now I have it through my pension plan. 

Dawn Lavallee

Question: Dawn, how long have you lived in Canada?

Dawn: I have lived there for 25 years and I work for the St. Paul Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Victim Services.

Question: Are you satisfied with the medical coverage offered by the government.

Dawn: Yes, very much so.

Question: Can you choose your own doctor or do they appoint one for you?

Dawn: No, I choose my own and I can change doctors if I want to.

Question: How long does it take to get an appointment with your doctor?

Dawn: It usually takes from two to four days. If it is an emergency, they will take me right away.  The longest I have ever waited in a doctor’s office has been about 35 to 40 minutes.

Question: Is it true that you have to wait a very long time if you need surgery?

Dawn: No, unless it is a “foo foo” thing. If you want something done cosmetically that does not have an effect on your health, then you go way back on the list. You can buy supplemental insurance to cover things like that. If it is cancer, or some other life-threatening thing, then they take you immediately.

Question:  How much does this cost you?

Dawn: The basic medical care furnished by Alberta does not cost us anything. My husband has supplemental insurance furnished by his work for which he pays $110 a month and it covers our immediate family. It covers eye exams, 80 percent of all prescriptions, ambulance, a private room, acupuncture, dental, psychological counseling, long-term disability, nursing home care, and just about everything else.

I am very satisfied with Canada medical coverage we have in Canada and I would not want to switch. It has a heart and is aimed toward assisting the citizen rather than an insurance company. For example, my daughter has worked for a business in Edmonton, Alberta and she is going to have a baby soon. She gets one-year maternity leave so she can be with her child plus a substantial monthly check to meet expenses.