gerv 

From my observation, there are some legitimate horror stories. Particularly around long waits for surgery. Occasionally you hear about doctor shortages. And Americans are often surprised that Canadians also have to buy insurance for drug coverage.

OTOH, when I first arrived in the US, I had an insurance plan that refused almost every doctor visit or presented hurdles for every prescription.

The concept of truly universal coverage -- for whatever the country can afford -- seems like a basic human right.

wahoonc

There are horror stories no matter what medical system you have. One that is cycled through in the US (with some truth) is people being forced into bankruptcy due to medical bills. When you have a for profit health care system you are going to have problems. I don't know what the answer is, but there are enough different systems out there that there should be enough information to design one that is efficient, cost effective and that works, but then again with politicians and businesses in charge...

Aaron

Winnershcyclist

I worked with a guy who said yes as he had a pretend non existent car he would travel in on the train by not paying fares and then wait for everyone to leave whilst pretending to go to his non existent car he even spoke of parking his car at Newbury station pay 15 minutes away and display instead of at the free to park work car park right out side the door

alhedges

If you have a professional job - or certain kinds of professional jobs, anyway - it's quite likely that you will see your interviewer again, or even end up working with your interviewer. And in many cases, you will already know your interviewer somewhat.

Roody

That's true, but a different type of interview than we are talking about here.

Years ago, my department had a collaborative interview process, where both superiors and subordinates interviewed job candidates. One candidate who was turned down for a job came back later and was hired to be the director of the department. Now a number of lower level people are working under this person that they once turned down for a job. They are a little concerned, of course.

350htrr

Certainly true for me, then comes the psych test they/some companies try to give you saying it's company policy, or drug test, I just shook my head and said here are my qualifications, this is what I have done, this is what I can do... Call me, Bye. Oh and this is what I want for $... EDIT; Playing hardball in an interview only really work if you have excellent qualifications/experience.

Smallwheels

Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, and some other large chain operations require one to take an online test before they'll even schedule an interview. The tests are done during the application process. These ensure you are the droid they are looking for. They have a cookie cutter idea of the best employee. I would really like to know what they expect of an entry level employee. How would a person who thinks outside of the box and solves problems do on such a test? They always have the question about reliable transportation too.

If ever I want to waste some time I might create a fake profile and take the test and give the worst possible answers just to skew their data. If anybody wants to take a very funny test over the telephone using an automated system go to a Hardee's restaurant and ask for a job application. The manager will give you a business card with a telephone number on it and a store identifier code. Call the number and listen to the questions. You can spell your fake name with your number pad and begin the test. Some of them are seemingly absurd. One of the questions is "Do you feel it is OK to use bad language when talking to a customer?"

How stupid has the USA become? Are some applicants really that stupid that they don't know how to behave in a business environment? If they are that bad then requiring the good applicants to have a car would seem like a really low priority question. Such a barrier might prevent a good reliable person from joining the company.

Roody

These jobs are intended for people at the lower end of the spectrum of job skills and cognitive skills. It's very illogical to make generalizations about the American population based on one tail of the Bell curve.

The real issue, IMO, is why does our society/government allow companies to exploit these people with low pay, miserable working conditions, and abusive stereotypes? And yes, the car question does reflect an abusive stereotype that affects many of us on this sub forum: if you don't own a car, there must be something wrong with you--wrong to the point that you're unemployable.

kmv2

Dental and pharmaceuticals, yes, we get an insurance plan. Usually through your work, or if you go to school you can join a group plan and pay a small fee. The plans can be extended to immediate family if needed. We also need to pay at the hospital small fees for certain procedures, like getting a cast put on when I was 12 cost $5 or something to get the fibreglass instead of standard plaster for free.

The fact that there was no health benefits plans at major universities in the USA was also surprising to me, you'd think 10s-100s of thousands of people could get a decent group benefits plan going.

kmv2

exactly the reason for public healthcare. the health of your nation shouldn't be for profit..

Can you imagine the effect on the middle and lower class if roads and infrastructure were private? tbh, it would be great for cyclists though.

Jared.

https://www.waittimes.net/Surgerydi/e...iod=0&expand=0
https://www.waittimes.net/Surgerydi/e...iod=0&expand=0

Current wait times. The GOAL for wait times for knee replacement is over 6 months in Ontario.
Imaging is a unique one because while the wait times are lengthy, they do not state the fact that some medical facilities schedule MRIs around the clock to reduce wait times (one of my mother-in-laws MRIs was scheduled at 1:45am). So you have these long wait times, even though some places are scheduling around the clock.

Please don't call someone a liar, especially when someone is discussing personal experiences. I never have received an MRI/CAT scan same day, yet I will not call you a liar because you have.

Lastly, none of what I stated was meant to be conceived as horror stories. They are simply how things are. Nothing I stated was "horrific" (this comment is obviously not directed a kmv2)

kmv2

Even so, would you rather fight with an insurance company and face possible bankruptcy or wait a few months?

Jared.

What? I've never had to fight with my health insurance provider. I've never faced possible bankruptcy. Again, I'm not saying one is better than the other. I am stating that each has positives and negatives.

The only thing I am concerned about is not getting struck by a car/truck in downtown Toronto this summer while I only have traveler/secondary insurance.

wolfchild

So what's wrong with that ??..If I was an employer I would expect my employess to be self-disciplined and get to work on time. No excuses for being late unless it's something serious. Every year our economy looses millions of dollars because of people who are late for work or people who take time off because they are "too tired to work that day".

wolfchild

Everyday during rush hour I see public transit buses in my city stuffed full of commuters, going to or from work. Taking a bus to work in my city is a legitimate way of transportation which alomost every company/corporation recognizes, most companies don't refuse people just because they take a bus to work....The thing that makes somebody unemployable is their "attitude" not their form of transportation. Some people claim to think "outside the box", but in reality they have boxed themselves in with their own ideology which makes them unemployable at anything other then minimum wage jobs.

gerv 

That's exactly the difference between the Canadian vs US health care systems.

It sucks waiting 6 months for a knee replacement.
It sucks having a major medical condition bankrupt you.

Roody

And it sucks even worse dying because you can't afford treatment anywhere besides the emergency room--and ERs are not very good at diagnosing cancer until its in its later stages.

kmv2

sorry cant come to work, my car broke down!!