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It's true. I needed to get an MRI in Canada. The doctor said it wasn't necessary and even if I was put on the queue, it would be 9 months. I asked to see a neur

It's true. I needed to get an MRI in Canada. The doctor said it wasn't necessary and even if I was put on the queue, it would be 9 months. I asked to see a neurologist. The wait? At least 6 months, absolute minimum. I moved to the US. When the doctor told me the wait would be a couple weeks and to call back if I was having issues, I laughed. I was amazed. And the MRI was absolutely necessary.

mjevans 7y ago
You had good healthcare coverage in the US; that's not normal. Having said that: (more) better doctors and (more) cheep MRI machines would really help.
- ultrarunner 7y ago
  Speaking of more MRI machines, Certificate of Need laws just might be one of those simple facts that would spur anger if commonly known.
  - maxerickson 7y ago
    Maybe. They exist because they line up with lots of people's intuition about economics though.
- tlear 7y ago
  You don't need coverage for MRI, as Canadian there is whole industry near border dedicated to servicing Canadian on wait lists. You drive over border, get MRI done(tomorrow), then get a dvd with results. Done. Cost is less then a $1000cdn vs waiting for 3 month Same for some kinds of surgeries. Friend was bounced around in TO for a year he needed some knee reconstruction. He could walk but nothing else but it was not a priority.. So drove over border, had consultation, drove week later and had it done. I am not sure what it cost, but he is not rich, typical sysadmin job
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- adventured 7y ago
  Poor people with free healthcare in the US can get MRIs and CT scans almost on command. All you need to do is have a normal reason and go see a physician. Your wait time will be less than two weeks typically. How do I know? I grew up exclusively utilizing free healthcare for the poor. I never had any other kind until I was an adult. I still know a lot of poor people from where I grew up that rely on programs like Medicaid. They have no problem expeditiously accessing normal things like MRIs and CTs.

mjevans 7y ago

You had good healthcare coverage in the US; that's not normal. Having said that: (more) better doctors and (more) cheep MRI machines would really help.

ultrarunner 7y ago
Speaking of more MRI machines, Certificate of Need laws just might be one of those simple facts that would spur anger if commonly known.
- maxerickson 7y ago
  Maybe. They exist because they line up with lots of people's intuition about economics though.
tlear 7y ago
You don't need coverage for MRI, as Canadian there is whole industry near border dedicated to servicing Canadian on wait lists. You drive over border, get MRI done(tomorrow), then get a dvd with results. Done. Cost is less then a $1000cdn vs waiting for 3 month Same for some kinds of surgeries. Friend was bounced around in TO for a year he needed some knee reconstruction. He could walk but nothing else but it was not a priority.. So drove over border, had consultation, drove week later and had it done. I am not sure what it cost, but he is not rich, typical sysadmin job
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
adventured 7y ago
Poor people with free healthcare in the US can get MRIs and CT scans almost on command. All you need to do is have a normal reason and go see a physician. Your wait time will be less than two weeks typically. How do I know? I grew up exclusively utilizing free healthcare for the poor. I never had any other kind until I was an adult. I still know a lot of poor people from where I grew up that rely on programs like Medicaid. They have no problem expeditiously accessing normal things like MRIs and CTs.