I’m Canadian, and were it not for universal health care, Medicare in Canada, I would likely be dead. You see Medicare has saved my life on a number of occasions. It wasn’t just the fact that it is universal, – it’s that I never had to worry about losing my coverage.

And the medical care I have had, has been exceptional. Yes, you may have to wait for elective surgery, but if emergency care is required for trauma or advanced disease, like Cancer, Stroke or Heart attack, treatment is essentially short-term, with exceptions for those being bumped due to exigent need.

I’m recovering from fairly major surgery for the second time in 17 months, and have to have another possibly invasive procedure within six months. None were life threatening, however the first one was limb threatening.

My transportation cost via ambulance, my transfers, all doctor, specialist fees, as well as trauma care in hospital for 7 days, including my nursing care, etc., didn’t cost me dime one. I never saw or received a bill and never have in my life, even after having survived at least six life threatening accidents over that time.

I am waiting for an MRI on my shoulder and likely surgery in the next few months. Yes, that may seem like a long time, however, while my shoulder injury is painful and somewhat debilitating, I know it will be repaired and I’ll be back on my motorcycle this spring. I’m 72, and Medicare doesn’t care if I ride a motorcycle regardless of my age.

I cannot lose my insurance or have it revoked for any reason. I have been involved in a significant number of high risk avocational interests and was a firefighter all my life, and am now retired.

I climbed, dived as a rescue instructor and diver, was a swift water rescue instructor, urban search and rescue instructor, trench rescue instructor and high-angle rescue instructor, and ride a sport-touring motorcycle. Not once did my vocation or my avocational interests affect my insurance or coverage, because it is universal.

In my life I have broken my neck, back, had two skull fractures, a serious life threatening disease requiring chemotherapy, broken most of my limbs, dislocated my shoulders, broken clavicles, ribs and herniated my abdomen badly in a fall.

Once again, at no time was treatment considered too expensive, timely coverage not provided, or treatment withheld.

Now compare that to life in America.

According to the American Bankruptcy Institute (abi.org), “health care costs are the #1 cause of bankruptcy for America’s families. According to http://www.thebalance.com, 56 million people struggle with medical debt each year. About 8.9% of the these people could not afford to pay anything towards these medical debts. Eleven million of these people ran up high interest credit card debt to pay their medical debts.

Think about that for a moment. These people did not have the income to pay their medical debts so they took out a high interest loan to do so. So, for example, if such a person owed $1,000.00 in medical debt and charged it to their credit card at say 28% interest, how much more money that they don’t have will they need to finally pay the “medical” bill? Where is that money going to come from? How do you break out of that cycle?”

According to JAMA, Journal of American Medicine,

Assessment of Trauma Team Activation Fees by US Region and Hospital Ownership

Tony Zitek ^1,2,✉, Kristina Pagano ², Oren J Mechanic ^1,2, David A Farcy ^1,2

“Activation fees for Tier 1 Trauma in a study that covered 523 hospitals, mostly in the Midwest, ranged from $9,500 to as much as $61,481. This was simply to ‘activate’ the trauma team at that hospital.

Daily costs for medical services and intervention for the average total stay was dependent upon whether post tier 1 trauma medical intervention was required/ Intervention classifications are; a) no complications, b) minor complications or c) major complications, and costs averaged the following;

Median hospital charges increased from $33,833 (none) to $81,936 (minor) and $150,885 (major).”

About 530,000 Americans file for bankruptcy each year due to medical expenses. A high percentage of these are people with families. It is therefore safe to assume that millions of people see their financial lives destroyed, due to medical debt each year.

How many Americans either become psychologically depressed, suicidal or turn to illicit drugs in response? How many Americans die from failure to afford either the necessary treatment for disease or the pharmaceuticals recommended? How many illnesses go either untreated or result in advanced disease that debilitates or makes a person so sick, they cannot work or support themselves? What costs are borne by America for lost productivity due to insufficient or no medical coverage?

Americans can say what they want about Medicare in Canada, for instance, but I an virtually a million dollar man in terms of the costs the medical system has incurred due to my accidents, injuries and disease.

Had I been American, I’m sure an insurance carrier would have ‘cut me off’ many years ago.

So am I thankful for Medicare?

Absolutely.

Would I want Medical Coverage that I paid a premium for each year, instead of the taxes that I pay in Canada?

Not on my life, no, absolutely not. Had I had to pay for a Gold insurance medical insurance plan, I would, since I was 18, probably have paid somewhere in the range of $580,000 over 53 years in premiums, and who knows how much, had my policy been ‘cancelled’ or treatment costs refused.

And it isn’t like this doesn’t happen.

“UnitedHealthcare in 2023 denied care to patients insured by them 8.7% of the time, and 94% of physicians said the requirement for prior authorization delayed care, and 78% said it sometimes led to patients abandoning treatment. According to a KFF survey, 18% of people said their health plans did not pay for care they thought was covered in the prior 12 months.”

So do I think Canadian Medicare is a good system.

No, I think the Canadian Medicare system is an excellent system. The fact that I am alive and well at 72 in spite of all my dalliances with death, stands as a testament to its value.

Ciao…