i feel like an american

no disrespect to the american people,but i live in canada. this has to do with health care.
i broke some ribs around xmas,and spent 3 lovely days at the local hospital.
they didn't do much at all for me except pump me full of morphine(not a good buzz!) and make me vomit alot from that! now at the time,i didn't realize my health card had expired.
a week after i got home,i got a bill in the mail for about $2000!
so i thought,o.k., when i renew my card everything will be fine.
well,i just found out that our fine canadian health service does not cover you at all in this situation. no retro anything!
so now i still owe the hospital $2000,plus the ambulance fee of $55!
i feel for americans with no health insurance.
wish me luck,this fight ain't over yet!

3 days in the hospital plus an ambulance ride and all that you owe is 2055.00. Feel lucky... that is like 10 grand here w/o insurance.

Yeah, we have it pretty hardcore rough down here even WITH health insurance. The insurance companies only pay for what they feel like paying anyway still leaving you with a rather large hospital bill. And as for those with no insurance.. Well, the horror stories about people not going to the hospital after being in an accident like say cutting off a few fingers or even a hand well, they're quite factual.

I do not have health insurance and have never had health insurance. 46 years old. Got to love America.

I can get health insurance but as a commercial balloon pilot it was going to be about $600.00 a month. I am just getting to a point in my life where I could easily afford it but with at the caveats and things that insurance does not cover I figured why bother. When I die I die.

Broken ribs several times and collar bones twice, I don't bother going to the hospital for those things as there is nothing they do for them anyway. I did break my wrist badly once so I went to an emergency room at COunty and they fixed it for $600.00. Not the best care at County but it is cheaper than insurance!

reply to post by BlastedCaddy


damn that is ruff! up here you walk in a hopital,they fix you then you leave. thats all!
except when your health card expires!!!

reply to post by reficul


A similar thing happened to me last spring, but I went to get a new card and submitted the new number to the hospital and that was that. Health care is a provincial responsibility, so I would suggest you get in touch with your MPP and present your new card to him or her. These are sometimes things they find easy to solve for political P.R. points. What province are you in? I'm in Ontario.

reply to post by BlastedCaddy


possibly closer to 20 grand..a ambulance ride in s. Illinois will cost you around 4K
Emergency billing 3-6K
Overnight for 3 nights close to 12K

I took my child to well visit at reg. doc. she wasn't sick or anything...just a well check annual and that cost almost 700 bucks.

reply to post by aboutface


i'm in ontario as well,and i basically just got the phonecall from the hospital. my friend just said the same as you and i am now i'm in the process of....
thank you very much for the advice! good to know my fellow canadians take care of their own!
did you read any of the replies from the states? they really got it ruff!
made me feel not so bad about my problem!

reply to post by Neopan100


good lord! that is insane!!!!!!!!!! i feel for you guys

worst part about it is that fixing your ribs or w/e cost less than the morphine they gave you

reply to post by Neopan100


Holy cow! I have to presume that part of the cost went to pave the road so you could continue on to get the help you needed. Otherwise, I am simply floored.
Stay healthy!

reply to post by reficul


It's very hard to believe..and if I could find the bill I would upload it for all to see.

I have insurance, but the billing got mixed and they (dr. office) accidentally sent me a copy of the bill in detail..usually we NEVER see the bills. I looked it over and I was shocked.

When my little girl was about 6 months old they start doing this thing at the well checks..it's like a little exercise (maybe takes 3-5 mins) He pulls on her hands to see if they grasp...he pulled on her feet to see if she flexes her knees back up..stuff like that..very simple body manipulation to check muscles/growth/etc. That little "exercise" cost 380 bucks..alone. The shots were like 72 bucks and then whatever else he did made up the rest.

I love my ped. and I wouldn't change to another for anything...but I think this is outrageous...I guess he has to pay a pretty penny for "insurance" or something..

Originally posted by reficul
reply to post by aboutface

 

i'm in ontario as well,and i basically just got the phonecall from the hospital. my friend just said the same as you and i am now i'm in the process of....
thank you very much for the advice! good to know my fellow canadians take care of their own!
did you read any of the replies from the states? they really got it ruff!
made me feel not so bad about my problem!

I would have thought they would have just renewed you, without cost. Here in Sask, they just send a renewal sticker in the mail to stick on the card. Every few years they replace the card. We don't have to worry about renewing, they do it for us.

When I lived in BC, there was always cases of people not having medical, they charged $40 per month or so, but if you had to go to the doctor or hospital, they just set up your medical card and backdated it so that you wouldn't have to pay.

I wonder if Ontario is the only province where they would actually charge you?

The ambulance was actually cheap, that isn't covered anywhere, and last time someone I knew had an ambulance bill ( years ago) it was $175.

reply to post by snowspirit

this is all new to me,first time out.i was dumb enough not to realize i needed to renew it!!!
i was used to the old red and white one,then mine was so old it broke in 3! then i had to get the new photo i.d. one.
when i got it,i put it in my wallet and forgot about it,unless i needed it.
boy was i wrong! you have to renew it every 10 years. any way ,i got some advice from friends,and an ats member
to get a hold of my mp,so the wheels are turning!

reply to post by reficul


Um, you meant to say MPP, right? That's Member of the Provincial Parliament, not federal, ok?