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About 15 years ago a friend of mine, who's a physical therapist originally from Canada working in the US, made an interesting observation. In Canada, MRI machi
by mykowebhn 6y ago
About 15 years ago a friend of mine, who's a physical therapist originally from Canada working in the US, made an interesting observation.
In Canada, MRI machines were available only at a few major hospitals. It took months to wait to use one. In Chicago, where we were living at the time, she said it seemed as if there were an MRI machine on every block.
I think the situation is different now, but I think the observation is quite telling.
- maxwell_smart 6y agoAbout 20 years ago, Buffalo NY had more MRI machines than Canada (not coincidentally, it's also the closest US city to the Toronto-Mississauga and St.Catherines-Hamilton areas.)
- whatevertrevor 6y agoLiving in Canada and I've heard people pay for MRIs on the south side of the border just because an MRI to see if there's ligament damage in your knee would take 6 months. There's definitely areas where care in Canada is excruciatingly slow. In my own anecdotal experiences (my own and from my friend circle) a lot of more chronic/non-urgent problems take forever to get looked at by a specialist in Canada.
- kazinator 6y agoYou can't compare public care in Canada with private in the USA. Though you wait six months for that public MRI, but it doesn't cost you anything! Yes, the waits suck, and they are related to having a low number of these machines in our public systems, compared to other countries. We have private imaging clinics in Canada which will serve you promptly, for something like $700 and up. Could it be that people are going to the USA simply because they are finding better deals than that? You know, get cheaper groceries and gas, and swing an MRI along the way, kind of thing.