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Is the Canadian healthcare system perfect? Of course not. Is it the best on the world? Clearly not. Is there lots of room for improvement? You bet, and people

Is the Canadian healthcare system perfect? Of course not. Is it the best on the world? Clearly not. Is there lots of room for improvement? You bet, and people like my wife are working hard at it. The Canadian system is vastly better than the us system for the vast majority of people. A system where everyone is covered and there is no concept of medical bankruptcy is obviously better out of the gate. Also really odd you’ve gone so hard on healthcare when that was just one of the many points that differentiates Canada from the us. I mean, you wanna talk about paid leave days? Maternity leave? Crime? Inequality? Cost of healthcare v outcomes, life expectancy….?

dismalaf 2mo ago
> Also really odd you’ve gone so hard on healthcare when that was just one of the many points that differentiates Canada from the us. Maybe because 34% of ALL government money in Canada goes towards healthcare. So this means I'm paying tens of thousands of dollars per year for healthcare that I haven't been able to use. Maybe it's bad luck that my family has required several "elective" (note that elective doesn't mean optional) procedures in the last few years, but it's a kick in the teeth to have to pay out of pocket for healthcare in another country when so much of our taxes go towards it here and we can't opt out. > differentiates Canada from the us. Not going to lie, the constant US boogeyman is what keeps Canada so fucking mediocre. There's 38 "rich" countries in the world (OECD) and a ton of them are ahead of us. Why aren't we striving to be more like Switzerland, Germany, France or Norway? Why is it some binary of USA or not USA? There's a ton of countries that are safer than CANADA (nevermind the US), get more maternity/paternity days, get more vacation days, get better healthcare, better income, less inequality and a better income/cost ratio. Even the laggards in the EU have better productivity (GDP per capita) growth than Canada and even the most dangerous EU countries are safer than Canada and even the worst EU health systems are better than ours. But we're just going to ignore that because some aspect of the US is worse (also half your points the US will still win because lots companies still provide those things even if they're not required). If every Canadian spent a year living in central or northern Europe they'd be radicalised enough to overthrow this government. Of course the reality is that Canadians who do move abroad just stay there (more Canadians live abroad than any of our peer countries) so the people that do stay here are the ones with little ambition. For better or worse I was born in Canada AND have a residence in central Europe so it's pretty easy for me to see how Canada has fallen and is being left behind by our peers. If we didn't have resources and easy access to the largest market in the world we'd be a 3rd world country (or more likely would have just never become a country).
- testing22321 2mo ago
  > So this means I'm paying tens of thousands of dollars per year for healthcare that I haven't been able to use. Yep, that’s how it works in every country with healthcare for all. Remember you’re paying less than Americans pay, and you’re getting better outcomes. [1] I also pay for police and firemen and a ton of other stuff I’ve never used. But I’m happy my community gets that safety net, and it will be there if I ever need it. > There are 38 "rich" countries in the world (OECD) and a ton of them are ahead of us. Why aren't we striving to be more like Switzerland, Germany, France or Norway? I agree with you 100% Canada is not the greatest at many things, and has a long way to improve. I’m happy people are working hard to do that. The original point above was that Canada is essentially the same as the US, which I refuted. At no point did I say Canada is the best or has nothing to improve. I’ve spent significant time in 65 countries, worked in a handful. I chose Canada. I wasn’t born here, I hold three passports (one EU) and could leave anytime.
  - dismalaf 2mo ago
    > so pay for police and firemen and a ton of other stuff I’ve never used. But I’m happy my community gets that safety net, and it will be there if I ever need it. That's what you think... My previous home also burned down in a wildfire that claimed 2000 other people's homes... A wildfire that was warned about for 20 years and for which zero precautions were undertaken. This year other people's homes have burned down and more are at risk near Vernon. Canada is a joke of a country, the only good parts are the camping, skiing and proximity to the US for business (assuming you don't need venture capital of course).
    - testing22321 2mo ago
      You’ve made it very clear you think it’s a joke of a country. I’m happy to hear you agree with my original comments, and the point of this entire thread. Canada is not “just like” the US.
      - dismalaf 2mo ago

dismalaf 2mo ago

> Also really odd you’ve gone so hard on healthcare when that was just one of the many points that differentiates Canada from the us. Maybe because 34% of ALL government money in Canada goes towards healthcare. So this means I'm paying tens of thousands of dollars per year for healthcare that I haven't been able to use. Maybe it's bad luck that my family has required several "elective" (note that elective doesn't mean optional) procedures in the last few years, but it's a kick in the teeth to have to pay out of pocket for healthcare in another country when so much of our taxes go towards it here and we can't opt out. > differentiates Canada from the us. Not going to lie, the constant US boogeyman is what keeps Canada so fucking mediocre. There's 38 "rich" countries in the world (OECD) and a ton of them are ahead of us. Why aren't we striving to be more like Switzerland, Germany, France or Norway? Why is it some binary of USA or not USA? There's a ton of countries that are safer than CANADA (nevermind the US), get more maternity/paternity days, get more vacation days, get better healthcare, better income, less inequality and a better income/cost ratio. Even the laggards in the EU have better productivity (GDP per capita) growth than Canada and even the most dangerous EU countries are safer than Canada and even the worst EU health systems are better than ours. But we're just going to ignore that because some aspect of the US is worse (also half your points the US will still win because lots companies still provide those things even if they're not required). If every Canadian spent a year living in central or northern Europe they'd be radicalised enough to overthrow this government. Of course the reality is that Canadians who do move abroad just stay there (more Canadians live abroad than any of our peer countries) so the people that do stay here are the ones with little ambition. For better or worse I was born in Canada AND have a residence in central Europe so it's pretty easy for me to see how Canada has fallen and is being left behind by our peers. If we didn't have resources and easy access to the largest market in the world we'd be a 3rd world country (or more likely would have just never become a country).

testing22321 2mo ago
> So this means I'm paying tens of thousands of dollars per year for healthcare that I haven't been able to use. Yep, that’s how it works in every country with healthcare for all. Remember you’re paying less than Americans pay, and you’re getting better outcomes. [1] I also pay for police and firemen and a ton of other stuff I’ve never used. But I’m happy my community gets that safety net, and it will be there if I ever need it. > There are 38 "rich" countries in the world (OECD) and a ton of them are ahead of us. Why aren't we striving to be more like Switzerland, Germany, France or Norway? I agree with you 100% Canada is not the greatest at many things, and has a long way to improve. I’m happy people are working hard to do that. The original point above was that Canada is essentially the same as the US, which I refuted. At no point did I say Canada is the best or has nothing to improve. I’ve spent significant time in 65 countries, worked in a handful. I chose Canada. I wasn’t born here, I hold three passports (one EU) and could leave anytime.
- dismalaf 2mo ago
  > so pay for police and firemen and a ton of other stuff I’ve never used. But I’m happy my community gets that safety net, and it will be there if I ever need it. That's what you think... My previous home also burned down in a wildfire that claimed 2000 other people's homes... A wildfire that was warned about for 20 years and for which zero precautions were undertaken. This year other people's homes have burned down and more are at risk near Vernon. Canada is a joke of a country, the only good parts are the camping, skiing and proximity to the US for business (assuming you don't need venture capital of course).
  - testing22321 2mo ago
    You’ve made it very clear you think it’s a joke of a country. I’m happy to hear you agree with my original comments, and the point of this entire thread. Canada is not “just like” the US.
    - dismalaf 2mo ago