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As a Canadian, I think it would be really cool if every doctor/hospital visit you went to in Canada, you got an e-mail copy of the invoice showing how much it c

As a Canadian, I think it would be really cool if every doctor/hospital visit you went to in Canada, you got an e-mail copy of the invoice showing how much it cost, and how much was covered, just so people would start to understand: a) how much they're costing themselves in taxes b) so they could see how awesome we have it compared to others. I should build this. I have the connections to make it happen. Hmm...

xerophtye 13y ago
Go for it! (Btw you DON'T get bills? as in not ACTUAL bills stating how much it cost you? The bill just goes to the insurance/govt?)
- HorizonXP 13y ago
  Sure, we do get billed. But as a patient, I never see it. The only bill I've ever seen is for ambulance rides, if I ever need to take one. That's ~$35-45. I've never received charges for anything else. When I used to volunteer at the ER, I saw patients come in to pay some bills related to wheelchair rentals or crutches. Sometimes they had their prescriptions filled at the pharmacy, and they had to pay for that. But again, that's the extent of the bills that patients would see. I once saw a guy come in via ambulance, screaming in pain. The paramedics rushed him in, and yelled to the staff that they needed a Resusc room immediately, since the guy had no detectable pulse or pressure, and she suspected he had a triple-A (I found out later that this was an abdominal aortic aneurysm.). The nurses fumbled to clear a room for them, but they eventually did. A quick ultrasound by the ER Dr. to confirm, and he was wheeled off to surgery. That "bill" likely cost the taxpayers of Ontario upwards of $50k by my uninformed guess. Not sure if he survived or not, AAAs typically have extremely high mortality rates and have to be addressed within 30 minutes. In any case, I do appreciate the fact that him and his family don't have to worry about a thing, except getting better and appreciating life. However, I'm not sure what value it would provide for them to know the financial cost. shrug Something worth thinking about. (Recounting this story makes me somewhat regret not continuing along the path to medical school. shrug Guess I have to contribute in a different way.)

xerophtye 13y ago

Go for it! (Btw you DON'T get bills? as in not ACTUAL bills stating how much it cost you? The bill just goes to the insurance/govt?)

HorizonXP 13y ago
Sure, we do get billed. But as a patient, I never see it. The only bill I've ever seen is for ambulance rides, if I ever need to take one. That's ~$35-45. I've never received charges for anything else. When I used to volunteer at the ER, I saw patients come in to pay some bills related to wheelchair rentals or crutches. Sometimes they had their prescriptions filled at the pharmacy, and they had to pay for that. But again, that's the extent of the bills that patients would see. I once saw a guy come in via ambulance, screaming in pain. The paramedics rushed him in, and yelled to the staff that they needed a Resusc room immediately, since the guy had no detectable pulse or pressure, and she suspected he had a triple-A (I found out later that this was an abdominal aortic aneurysm.). The nurses fumbled to clear a room for them, but they eventually did. A quick ultrasound by the ER Dr. to confirm, and he was wheeled off to surgery. That "bill" likely cost the taxpayers of Ontario upwards of $50k by my uninformed guess. Not sure if he survived or not, AAAs typically have extremely high mortality rates and have to be addressed within 30 minutes. In any case, I do appreciate the fact that him and his family don't have to worry about a thing, except getting better and appreciating life. However, I'm not sure what value it would provide for them to know the financial cost. shrug Something worth thinking about. (Recounting this story makes me somewhat regret not continuing along the path to medical school. shrug Guess I have to contribute in a different way.)