Having lived in Canada for 10 years, and recently moved back to the US because of health care, I can attest that while Canadian health care looks good on paper, it's not. Sure, it's there when you need immediate emergency care. But for anything long term, it's horrendous. Autism, for example, is a perfect example, and something I know first hand. In Quebec? The best thing you can do for autistic children is to leave and get out of there. My wife, a Canadian, was afraid when she first heard about US healthcare, but when she finally got to experience first hand the full brunt of the system, she despised it. We had more help for my son in the first 2 weeks of being in the US then he'd had in more than year fighting for it in Canada.
To top this all off, Canada still has private insurance, and while you don't need it, if you don't have it, it makes for much lower quality of care (and don't think the public option covers essentials, either).
So, no. I could never put my sons through a system like that again. It was down right abuse, and I don't use that word lightly.
Having lived in both countries, my experience in the U.S. was less than ideal. About the same amount of wait times as in Canada, and the doctors I saw gave me very little options as to how I could treat one of my chronic injuries. Never suggested a follow up appointment, physio, or even x-rays/MRI's to get a better look. In Canada, they recommended me a specialist, and I have a nurse at a clinic who has built a great relationship with me to assess my needs when I need help, as well as x-rays/MRI's done within a week.
My experience isn't like all in Canada or the U.S. but after touting how much better I thought the U.S. would be because of my great insurance and living in one of the top cities in the country, I wasn't impressed at all.
Different strokes? Yeah, that doesn't mean what you think it means.
Regardless, it's great that you have a happy story to tell. It's mostly meaningless. The original point is, Canada's system isn't better. It's just another system, with it's own problems. I mean, do you really think your story will change the facts of mine? Does it matter? No.
And, to top this all off, you try to equate "not being impressed" with abuse? Really?
To top this all off, Canada still has private insurance, and while you don't need it, if you don't have it, it makes for much lower quality of care (and don't think the public option covers essentials, either).
So, no. I could never put my sons through a system like that again. It was down right abuse, and I don't use that word lightly.