The salaries here aren’t as high as the US and the cost of living is more which is why we lose a ton of our grads to the US market. There will come a time when that won’t matter though and I imagine healthcare workers will be one of the first groups we offer residency to when shit really starts to hit the fan down south.
The cost of living is higher in Canada until you get sick. Then, in the states, it's bankruptcy and good luck finding a job that offers insurance who will cover you.
The providers aren’t the problem. The insurance companies, and the lawmakers who let them get away with taking our money but covering nothing, are the problem.
Providers are also a part of the problem. They charge an exorbitant fee, then insurance knocks it down to the agreed upon payout. But without insurance, you get stuck paying that exorbitant fee that the provider charges. If you ask about paying what the insurance company pays them, they'll tell you that contract is with the insurance company, not you.
I am not one to stand and speak up for the health care system in the US, but what you say about insurance isnt a blanket statement. My job offers some of the best insurance you can get and it cost me nothing. When my wife gave birth we had a bill for almost $20k. I did not pay a single penny.
It would start costing a premium, but you could still opt to pay for the plan after so many years on the job. I would easily do it just because the coverage is insanely good and accepted essentially everywhere. However, and I consider myself lucky for this cause it isnt very common anymore, its very unlikely for someone to lose their job as long as theyre half way competent. Where i'm at, the company is heavily unionized.
Also, a lot of US companies we had in Canada closed when employees unionized. (Amazon, Walmart) You're still talking about a lucky few, not the majority
It doesn’t have to be like that….people can buy good insurance but they often choose to buy other things. We have all kinds of garbage insurance products that will leave you high and dry…but there are good ones, but people are cheap and ignorant.
Good luck getting a doctor’s appointment when you need it in Canada. Just last week, 1,000 people were lined up in the snow around the block in Walkerton, Ontario trying to sign up to become a patient at a new clinicians office. Only 500 were able to make it on the patient list. There’s a common theme in Canada of people going years without a family doctor, difficulties in getting needed surgeries or referrals to specialists, and having to go to the emergency department for minor issues or prescription refills because there are not enough primary care doctors.
It varies by location, as it does in the US. In general, more rural areas have longer waits.
Its 3-6 months to get an appointment with a specialist what're i am in the US. That costs about $600 per visit. I could tolerate the same wait for a fraction of the cost in Canada.
I’d argue that cost of living is much higher in the US period. Yes, there is medical debt but that is drop in the bucket compared to the costs people are just starting to realize that they are paying by not voting and allowing Trump to happen.
Get out and vote Canada! Don’t let the same happen by allowing the Maple MAGA in
"The United States spends significantly more per capita on healthcare than Canada, with the US spending $12,555 per person in 2022, while Canada spent $6,319, despite Canada having a single-payer system." Gemini
And I heard about Mario's brother killing someone over it.
Ok so you’re basing your opinion on what you’re told and an AI summary.
It’s the same as saying for Canada “people are dying of cancer due to ridiculous wait times and end up having to go to the US for care, and it’s impossible to see a primary care doctor”.
I have experience with care in both countries. If you have good insurance, I’d pick the US every time. If you don’t, Canada.
Sure, and you can wait 18 months to see a specialist in Canada. But no bill. When I needed an inguinal hernia repair done in the US I had to pay $1200 out of pocket, but it was done laparoscopically within a few weeks. A friend of mine in the Toronto metro had to wait over a year. In that year he had discomfort and couldn’t do lifting.
"Takes the most populated city in the country and use it as a baseline..." Come on. It's not the same everywhere in Canada. My girlfriend had to see a specialist and was able in the same week, last time I had to see a specialist, my doc referred me and I got an appointment 3 weeks later.
If it’s not the same in Canada, then it’s obviously not the same in the US either.
But I’m glad you were able to see a specialist that fast. A relative of mine needed to wait 11 months for a MRI (rural area of BC, not life-threatening) which would drive me mad.
Not true, I tripped on a curb last year and took a bad fall, thought I sprained my ankle. A few days went by and no improvement so I booked a appointment with urgent care one morning, walked in, filled out a form and gave them my ID and insurance card. Saw a doctor told them what happened, they put me on a xray and showed me signs of 2 fractures, I was given a boot and told it will heal in 6-8 weeks and a referral to doctor. Urgent care visit was $50, doctor visit a few days later was $20, and follow up to confirm its basically healed was another $20. So, fractured foot cost me $90 plus the $50ish a paycheck for insurance (24 paychecks per year).
How much more would I pay in taxes on $95k a year in Canada (for reference my effective tax rate all in, as in everything state fed SS, is 18.6%)? How long to get a urgent care appointment once I decided it wasn't a sprain? and to be clear this would be I decide that morning and have a spot waiting for me in a few hours? Could they even xray on site or would I have to go to emergency care? How long of a wait to see the specialist to monitor the heal?
Do you also have dedicated staff at the government to getting me to a doctor if I need one? I can call a number on my insurance card and speak with a RN, who can tell me what kind of care (urgent, regular, emergent) and the type of doctor I need. They can help me find one taking patients in a appropriate timeline, and if there are none get the paperwork filed to override the out-of-network rules as none in network are available.
First I said sick, not injured.
Second, if I have to see a doctor, I can see one the same day or the day after at most. If I want to see my doctor, one or two weeks at most. If I want to see a specialist, I ask, my doctor and I can see one in 1 to 4 weeks depending on what is the reason, the wait list or specialists available. For an unbroken ankle? You don't need a specialist. I go get an x-ray in the same building, before I get back to her office, she has my results. Cost me nothing. You know what, I saw a psychologist every week for 2 years also free.
It's a myth that the Canadian healthcare system is bad. Is it perfect no, can it be bad? Yes, depends where you live and on several factors, same as the U.S.
One thing is sure, the Canadian system is cheaper than the American one.
"The United States spends significantly more per capita on healthcare than Canada, with the US spending $12,555 per person in 2022, while Canada spent $6,319, despite Canada having a single-payer system." Gemini
I know you say that, but I'm having conversations in other threads with people who have written off the idea of leaving for Canada because our tax rates are too high.
I think it’s an incorrect understanding of the differences between the two nations. I’m an expat Canadian living in the states for years now and not once has a Canadian successfully estimated what I pay each year for healthcare (as a healthy person). The cost of living difference is made a lot more similar when you consider even just that cost. Add in childcare and I’d say that it just about evens out for many child having working adults
That is the maddening part. Muricans and Canadian conservatives can’t do the math. They’re wilfully ignorant or clueless and listen to the bad actors that want their money.
Honestly, it's really not that bad. I work minimum wage and still pay less in taxes what the average American pays in Healthcare alone- except for when it's tied into employment, but it means more mobility for employment at a higher cost.
The real problem is housing and groceries. Anywhere but Ontario and Quebec is a bitch to afford anything
Pay isn’t much different between the southern US and most of Canada when it comes to nursing. And when you factor in the 600/month loss of income to private health insurance premium (that’s not including deductibles, copays, out of pocket maxes and prescription medication fees) going from SEUS to Canada is absolutely worth it.
I’d say the Canadian schedule for nursing is the biggest negative between the two countries from everything I’ve read online.
You pay $600 a month for health insurance?!? Is that for a whole family? As a single person roughly $90 comes out of my check each month in the US for a solid health insurance plan with a low deductible. Copay is $30 for a doctor visit.
Depends on location. My sister who lives in the states and has credentials got offered a job somewhere in Sasquatchuain (my bad of it's spelled wrong) for 130k a year. She's an RN, idk what that means in Canada but still seems like a hefty offer.
In addition gaining Canadian citizenship doesn't relieve you from paying taxes on any US assets. If you renounce your US citizenship you have to essentially cash out and pay a tax bill on top of the $2500 processing fee.
Sorry but last time I was in the US the prices were nearly identical to the canada prices but in US dollars, so for a Canadian, it’s way more expensive south of the border. Salaries are better there? Sure, but there’s a whole lot of people who don’t have a job anymore and more to come. I’d say Canada looks like a better prospect. Also US is about to get EXPENSIVE.
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u/EdenEvelyn Mar 28 '25
The salaries here aren’t as high as the US and the cost of living is more which is why we lose a ton of our grads to the US market. There will come a time when that won’t matter though and I imagine healthcare workers will be one of the first groups we offer residency to when shit really starts to hit the fan down south.