Canadian vs US medical costs

ok.. lemme get this straight... *YOU* have to pay for ultrasounds and hysterectomies and such in the States???
OMG, i can't even imagine how much having a baby would cost!!
Not to sound silly, but i am curious... do you have to pay for or bring your own supplies (eg. pads, medicines etc)?

A curious Canadian whos Castle date is drawing near, and who is getting scared. lol

Palmchick

Hello from WNY!

i think a lot has to do with the insurance your company supplies. I work for a fortune 500 company, they have a decent plan (monthly rates keep rising,) I now pay approx $100 month for myelf and 2 college age kids. My cost for tah/bso was office visits at $20 each, and a hospital co-pay of $100. Not a bad deal in my book.

I haven't seen a statement yet, but here's an example: took my dd to emergency room for what we thought was a broke finger. Bill was $435 (including $39 for a finger tip protector I can buy at pharmacy for $5!!!!!!!!) I only had to pay %50copay because I had insurance.

I have heard horror stories where with no insurance coverage, it's all out of pocket!

How does it work up there?

With my insurance plan, each GYN visit was $20, each lab work, ultrasound etc... was $20. We had to pay $250. deductible for the year. I was so relieved when I got my castle date by the end of the year. Supplies such as pads, socks, soap, shampoo was all included at the castle.

The final bill for my surgery was under $14,000. (from castle to insurance)

There is a state plan here called Medicaid but you have to make under a certian amount. From what I understand, procedures like a hyst with medicaid can be drawn out.

Lamb and Lion

I have Blue cross/ blue shield insurance through my employer ( the hospital where I had my surgery), my office visits are just $15 ( no co-pay for post op visits) and Because I had the surgery at my hospital I didnt have any co pay....But yes it usually depends on your insurance, even if you Don't have any insurance coverage, atleast wehre i work, you still get quality care, and thats WHY our hospital is $11 million in the hole. I had a problem with my insurance last year when I ha dmy ablation, they said I had a waiting period, which wasn't true, and my Dr office told me that they wouldn't do the surgery unless I pre paid ( $5000) ANYHOW, we got it straight about 3 days prior to my date and I had it done, SO unless you are treated int he ER and admitted to the hospital the dr's usually dont schedule surgery unless you pre pay or have insurance.

ANyway...thats my rambling

I think the primary difference is who covers the costs. It is my understanding that in Canada everyone had health care, and thus a huge portion of your income is taken out in taxes and such. In the US it is not the same. We can either purchase health insurance through our employer (or spouses) and each plan is different, I have a $15 co-pay each visit. Each state also has their own plan, in Texas its called the Gold Star Plan, where if your employer doesn't offer insurance or you can't afford it, then you have health coverage and you pay a fee on a sliding scale based on your income level. Then there is Medicare and Medicaid wich are federally sponsored programs that have income guidlines. So, it is different, but we keep more of our paychecks! I had a co-worker from Canada who said 65% of their income was taken out, wow!

Hi from another Canadian

In Canada we pay income tax, just like in the U.S. The amount we pay is based on our income. If someone is paying 65%, they must have a pretty high income.

Health and education are two of the many things that come out of our income tax, both provincial and federal. This way, everyone, no matter what their economic situation, has equal access to these and other services.

However, for certain elective medical procedures there are line-ups. Luckily, a hysterectomy is not one of them, at least in my province.

Bye for now.

I too have blue cross and I have a co-pay for office visits of $10 each. For surgery and such (any admittance to the hospital or ER visit) I have a to meet a deductible of 500 yr out of my own pocket- but that is a once a year for my entire family. It doesnt matter if we all help meet it, or just one of us. After the deductible is met, I pay 10% of the bill. No copay on hospital visits.. no deductible for office visits.. if that makes sense!

Certain things arent covered.. like ultrasounds ($275) and I have to pay those out of pocket.. but it does go toward my yearly deductible. Now to make things more confusing.. anything that isnt covered by insurance.. the doctor makes an allowance for and eats part of that cost simply because I do have insurance. So my ultrasound costed 93$.. and that went toward the deductible.

Pads and things like that, usually arent covered by insurance.. but the castle supplies you with them and charges you for them regardless if you use them.

So far.. my gyn has charged me 3200 for just his services for my TVH. So.. I will owe him 320 once the insurance pays up. The gyn that assisted charged me 700. So I will owe hime 70. My pre-op labs were approx $350.. and I am still waiting for the actual hospital bill including surgical, op, room, personals, meds and anesthesia.

Would you believe I actually have what is considered good insurance? lol DH and I pay 280 a month for the family plan with dental (excellent dental plan) and RX coverage.

First another word about income tax. Canadian pay between 27% and 65% for income tax depending how much you make. Most Canadians seem to pay on the lower end of the scale. Each province has a healthcare plan, which covers all doctors visits, hospital stays and surgeries. In Alberta, our monthly premium is about $80 per month, which my employer pays for half! (so I pay $45.00 Canadian or about $30 US). There are no user fees for doctor's visits or lab tests. I also have extended health coverage to pay for prescriptions and upgrades (semi private/private) for hospital rooms. My employer pays for that premium, so I have no costs there. So, in my case, I went for 30 physio sessions before surgery, several doctors appointments, including assessments by other specialists, surgery and hosptial stay (six days) and drugs for a monthly cost of $45.00. (which I would pay whether I visit the doctor or not). So our costs are still considerable lower.

Levanah

In Canada, it is the doctors who decide if you need the surgery, not the insurance companies. I was shocked to read that insurance companies can decide not to pay for a procedure or require other testing or procedures to be done. I think that should be decided between the doctor and patient.

Levanah

In the US it is also the insurance company who decides on your castle stay as well. Mine says no stay for LAVH, so I come home the same day. I just had gallbladder surgery in May at 1:30 pm and was home by 5:00 the same day. In and out and don't let the door hit you! Pretty amazing isn't it?