Friday, August 24, 2007

O Canada

As luck would have it, I was born in Canada. Over these past few days I have been reminded of how fortunate I was in my accident of birth. It's something that I always know is true, but I certainly don't think about it on a regular basis.

Well, I thought about it in the OR on Monday morning as two doctors and three nurses hovered around and about endeavouring to patch my body. I wondered what the bill would come to ... the bill that I will never see. The cost of all of that expertise plus the room with all of its expensive equipment must be quite staggering, but it hasn't cost me one red cent. Oh I know that all we citizens pay for such benefits in taxes and such, but I'm certainly not stuck with a huge, one-time outlay at a moment in my life when it would be very difficult to afford.

Later, I considered the three-day, post-operative care, once again funded by public health care. I wondered what that bill would look like. I do know, for example, that I could have upgraded to a semi private room for a hundred and fifty bucks, so if an upgrade costs that much, it rather staggers me to think of what the basic cost of a bed plus food plus meds plus nursing would amount to.

Our national anthem is O Canada. Indeed.

14 comments:

Lynn said...

I'm glad to hear you are doing well no matter what the cost.

Valerie - Still Riding Forward said...

Darn - she beat me to first!

Hey! I am so glad this came out ok, so to speak...

I heart you. Canadian or not, I would have chipped in for your treatment.

Hugs to you today! I loved the royal sunset!

Paul said...

Sickness and worry about finances should never be mixed. Glad you don't have the stress to slow the healing.

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

God bless Tommy Douglas and his vision of a Society as a mutually caring supportive community. We need to stand on guard for our universal health care system.

Heather Plett said...

Yup. Great country.

-epm said...

Twenty-three years ago this month our daughter came into the world with several orthopaedic birth defects.

Wanna talk about bills... Oy! It was years of not only financial challenges, but also the dehumanizing emotional challenges of dealing with private insurance companies.

I'll stop now before I get worked up to the point I need medical attention... I can't afford that.

Glad all seems well with you.

Dale said...

If we end up with a two-tiered system, it'll be OW, Canada!

PBS said...

Glad everything is turning out OK and that you are doing well. I will have a big mess to sort through of insurance and medical bills from all the doctor visits and the PT I've had lately. Canada does seem to have a really great, humane system of health care.

KGMom said...

Years ago I heard the Princeton health economist Uwe Reinhardt speak. He points out NO ONE would design a health care payment system as the U.S. has evolved. I totally agree.
And the recent Michael Moore movie Sicko points out some of the great stupidities of that system.
The Canadian system has gotten things right in this regard.
Now to the important part--glad you are recuperating.

Anonymous said...

Glad the surgery went smoothly.

I'd guess $1000 a day for hospital stay (based on non-citizen charged rates) and pull out of a hat $2000 for surgery, tho luckily with our tax coverage it's not any one person's hat as you say.

Gina said...

Now AC, I need to you debunk a myth that my husband keep perpetrating about the universal health care system.

He claims that although yes, it is "free" (but we all know it's paid through taxes, as you said) but that you have longer wait times for appointments, procedures and surgeries.

So please, tell me if he is right or not. Then, if he is wrong, I can beat him over the head with a wet noodle.

Anonymous said...

I love Canada. Why can't I be Canadian? I saw "Sicko" and it really made me want to be Canadian.

thailandchani said...

Pebbles in the Stream is right. Sickness and concern about money should never be mixed.

There are certain countries (*ahem*) which should be looking to Canada for a workable solution.


Peace,

~Chani
http://thailandgal.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I am singing right along with ya.