If you couldn't live in the US, where would you go?

definitely stay in Texas. oh wait is that in the US? oh that's right,we haven't seceded yet! I can still dream can't I?

 

I would never live anywhere else but Canada!

I was born in the US, but we moved to Canada when I was 10. I can't tell you how many times I've been grateful for the health care system here, especially when I look at what you all have to go through down south.

I've seen stories on TV about children with birth deformities in the US, who have to have their whole town pitching in to pay for their surgeries. We didn't pay a dime for our daughter's surgery, and she's no different from those kids. We didn't pay for my son's teeth, either! We've never had to cancel vacations or tighten our belts because the children got sick. My mother-in-law got both her knees replaced, and she didn't have to sell her house to get it done.

Also, where I live, homeschooling incredibly easy. All I had to do was tell the principal of my children's school that I was going to homeschool them and that was it. I never heard from them again.

Now that my children are back in the public system, I can homeschool my friends' children. And I can take my own children out of school whenever I want, for any reason, and I don't have to explain myself to anyone. Even if it's for a 2 week vacation to Disney.

And if my children miss any schoolwork, for any reason - or even if they just refuse to study! - they're allowed to write makeup tests. That's maybe not so good from an accountability perspective, but it sure gives us a lot of flexibility.

 

See, I think most people in America see this as a good thing. At least I do. I don't need the government to tell me what I can and can't have as far as health care goes. I see those neighbors coming together to help each other as inspiring stories to how we can take care of each other and we don't need the government to save us.

And, no offense, but you DID pay for your son's teeth and your daughter's surgeries. It's called taxes. In fact, you payed for your mother-in-laws knees too. And your neighbors paid for your son, your daughter, and your mother-in-law. It is not free. When you hand power over to the government you give a piece of your freedom away.

Recently Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams decided to come to AMERICA for his heart surgery...

"An unapologetic Danny Williams says he was aware his trip to the United States for heart surgery earlier this month would spark outcry, but he concluded his personal health trumped any public fallout over the controversial decision.

"This was my heart, my choice and my health," Williams said late Monday from his condominium in Sarasota, Fla."​

I could not have said it better myself. And America is the homeschooling freedom capital of the world. We have it mighty good here, even compared to Canada.

(Plus, American is the only place in the world where free speech is guaranteed and we beat Canada in hockey! )

 

I like having a homebase in the good 'ol U.S.A. It's really not as bad as people say it is.

 

Ooh. You're asking for trouble! If Meg is in traveling distance, you may just need that medical insurance!

 

Canada! and I don't care who gives me the check. Money is Money.

They have great health care too.

 

Colorado Mom:

Hah! We beat Germany last night. We'll beat Russia tonight and then we'll beat the you guys in the gold medal match. Just wait and see! *woot!* *waves flag*

Ahem. Having to rely on the goodwill of our neighbours for basic medical care is not a good thing, in my opinion. My daughter was able to have her surgery right away, and it didn't bankrupt us. We didn't have to beg complete strangers for help. And we didn't have to go on TV and cry.

As far as Danny Williams goes - he hasn't shared the whole story, but I think it's probably got something to do with the fact that your country is a lot bigger, and you've got more specialists. It's common to go to the US when specialists can't be found in Canada. Our gov't will even pay to send us to your country for medical care, when we can't get it here.

However, it's no good having a bunch of fancy doctors if you're not allowed to see them - which is the situation your uninsured folks are in.

I'm free to see any doctor I like. I can homeschool without interference - I don't even have to fill out any paperwork! No one's watching me, or keeping lists of the books I check out of the library. I had a homebirth, with two midwives in attendance - all paid for by my taxes, yay! And even though I'm an ex-Reservist, I can't be called up against my will. All our soldiers are volunteers, and in fact there's a waiting list to go to Afghanistan.

Sure feels like freedom to me!

But, that said, I completely support your right to love your country, better than any other. And I love your theme parks.

 

Thank you for posting, Meg. I like hearing the opinions of people who live in countries where their medical is paid for through taxes. Do most Canadians feel the way you do?

 

Hi, Mandiana!

I don't think anyone would say our system is perfect. There's definitely room for improvement. But I don't know of anyone who would trade it for the US system.

Besides, don't your seniors get their medical paid through taxes?

 

I'm not Canadian, but I live in Canada now. I am a US citizen enjoying a country that declares health care as a right. My children have amazing health coverage now. It is still very weird to me to go to the doctor and not have to pay.

Ironically I found a dental professional recently who offered a progressive treatment option that is hard to find in the USA. They live 10 minutes away from me.

 

I was born and lived in a country where healthcare is a right, and the system is fundamentally flawed. We'll visit family on vacation, but we'd never live there again; frankly, if you have something serious, it's just not safe. Yes, some doctors are wonderful and make home visits, but the system as a whole stinks.

- Policies are made by an army of bureaucrats
- You might have to travel large distances for some treatments
- Waiting lists are sometimes longer than life expectancy
- Older patients are denied treatment simply because they are old
- Doctors and specialists are often arrogant in the extreme
- Many people visit the doctor for trivial things, which hurts those with a real need

An interesting statistic is that more people are employed by the British National Health Service than any other employer in the world - except the Chinese Red Army and the Indian National Raliways. And that's not because there's an excess of doctors!

It's not that the people in the system are bad, because nurses are viewed in very high regard. The problem is the system. There's no competition. There's no culture of excellence. There's a total lack of transparency and accountability. There's a continual lack of resources. People learn over time to live with it and not to complain. This is what happens when the government takes away individual responsibility - apathy.

And as was mentioned earlier, it's not free. You pay heavily in taxes. Given the inefficiencies, you end up paying more than you would for a private equivalent.

 

Doesn't the type of medical care a person receives in Canada depend on the area they live in? I have five friends from Canada and all refuse to return, except to visit family. All had negative things to say about the health system in their area and did mention something about healthcare differing, depending on what part of Canada a person lives in.
I do not know if they are still at Homeschool Spot but we had another Canadian who mentioned something along these lines when Obama was running for President and pushing a universal healthcare system.

No, most seniors ( that I know personally) do not have their medical bills paid for by the government or through taxes directly. However they do receive social security because they paid into it from the day they started working up to the day they retired. The amount they put in will depend on the amount they receive at retirement. However, I do have a few senior friends who do receive assistance with meds if their retirement isn't enough to live on. But their medical bills are covered by their insurance company that they pay for monthly with the money they saved, earn, their retirement, or social security.

 

Well, no matter what...it seems pretty hard to pick a better country. I will vote, so then I can complain.

 

Ya! Voters rights! LOL

 

I will say it is hard for an uninsured person to find any decent health coverage without it being thru a large company. I have none since hubby got sick and I can't find anything I can afford to buy without very huge deductables. So medical insurance would be great for me.

 

same boat agree

 

....between a rock and a hard place. Since when you go to the doctor without any coverage, you are usually being charged MORE than the ones that do have it!

As to what country....good ol' USA for me. (Maybe a shack in the mountains away from civilization? lol)

I find this thread humorous since it hits a little close to home...A family member decided to take a year and explore the world with the intent of moving to another country. After a year, visiting numerous countries and spending thousands of dollars, he changed his mind.

By the way, from what he told me, New Zeland was one of his choices, but apparently you can't just move there because you want. You have to show a job or knowledge that New Zeland feels will be an asset to them.

 

There are many places I would gladly live. I've had the opportunity to live on three continents besides North America. There are good and not so good things about all of them.

The healthcare issue needs to be addressed in this country. Too many people think that it is all or nothing-our ridiculously expensive insurance system or government healthcare. There are other options.