Canuck with no medical insurance - prepare for emergenncy"?

[joebedford]

Last year, I was in Florida for 4.5 months with no emergency medical insurance. I knew that the thing that was stopping my eligibility was bogus so I wasn't worried health-wise. An accident? That would have been a problem.

Anyway, this year I had a couple of stents installed so even though I'm 12 months stable for last year's bogus condition, the 12 month clock has started again.

I've been checked top to bottom now and I'm healthier than I thought I was last year. I'm willing to chance it again this year but maybe not as long.

I understand about jumping on the first plane to Canada if I get sick or even getting a drive home if I can last two days. I know if I'm suddenly and severely sick, probably neither option will work - my bad luck.

Does anybody take "supplies" in case of emergency. Like, I don't know, maybe oxygen?

Suggestions welcome but don't bother saying "don't go" as that's a strictly personal choice.

[PNW_Steve]

Hey Joe,

It's a tough spot but keep in mind what the costs can be. I had an unexpected health hiccup. I spent one night in the hospital. The bill was almost $11,000.

A buddy of mine got hit by a deer while out for a ride. They flew him in a jet to Seattle and he spent a month in the hospital. There were multiple surgeries involved. I didn't see his bills but I can only imagine that it was probably in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[rk911]

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2016-08-03/canadians-increasingly-come-to-us-for...

[pianotuna]

I don't know a single person who lives in Canada that has EVER gone to USA for treatment. When I had a stroke in 2013, I had an MRI, cat scan, ultrasound, eco cardiogram and a week's stay in a wonderful teaching hospital. The cost to me was $250 for an ambulance ride. I also don't know any Canadian who has attempted to defraud an insurance company.

I do know USA citizens who have ended up penniless, and I do know that some times folks don't have good insurance. For example, an acquaintance who was going to be required to Travel from Lake Mary FL to Georgia to visit a Gynecologist, because no one in FL would accept her insurance.

westernrvparkowner wrote:
I know many Canadians who have serious health issues who travel to the States to avoid the wait times associated with treatment for those issues. The last line of defense against such fraud is the investigation of the claims by the insurance providers. You call it finding loopholes to avoid paying and they call it preventing fraud.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

They don't pay them if they are full time. I am no longer full time. I was for 5 years.

So far as I am aware I now pay property tax to the city. I don't believe we have "county" or "township" taxes. We do have Rural municipality taxes.

BTW I'm not the one who said "free".

MDKMDK wrote:

fitznj wrote:
My tax on 57k was less than 6k. So much for "tax liability".

What no sales tax in Canada? Property Tax? Township tax? County tax?
and the other multitude of taxes.

The cost for health care has to come from somewhere, if not from
you then from your neighbour. It's certainly not "free" as you
stated.

As stated, the USA is an exceptionally generous country, if you have
medical emergency, you won't be left on the sidewalk and left to die.

The rest of us pay those taxes, so folks like pianotuna can have free healthcare, too.

[HadEnough]

For the first time ever, I was asked if I had travel health insurance entering Canada and I didn’t. I would just pay out of pocket. No big deal. However, they are starting to look into that now.

As to coming to the states, I think the poster that talked about buying a plane ticket, requesting a wheelchair, and keeping your mouth shut is the right one. Just get yourself back home. Yes bring an oxygen tank. Yes bring blood thinners. Yes don’t eat all the high fat and sodium food down here. Be healthy. Eat healthy. Some nice walks. It goes along way toward not needing medical care.

[MDKMDK]

fitznj wrote:
My tax on 57k was less than 6k. So much for "tax liability".

What no sales tax in Canada? Property Tax? Township tax? County tax?
and the other multitude of taxes.

The cost for health care has to come from somewhere, if not from
you then from your neighbour. It's certainly not "free" as you
stated.

As stated, the USA is an exceptionally generous country, if you have
medical emergency, you won't be left on the sidewalk and left to die.

The rest of us pay those taxes, so folks like pianotuna can have free healthcare, too.
Whoever said, if you think healthcare is expensive now, wait until it's free, hit the proverbial nail on the cranium.
It's not free, nor are we because we're all beholden to the mighty governments to dole it out in a "wait your turn" system that really suks if you look at the statistics on wait times for simple stuff, that you'd get done the same day in the US, albeit for a lot of up front money, or your insurance company's up front money.
I prefer your (USA) system of only pay for what you think you'll need, plus the catastrophic coverage while you're younger and healthy, and hope you never need it.

[westernrvparkow]

pianotuna wrote:
westernrvparkowner,

I have no problems with paying tax. All I was illustrating is that taxation in Canada is just not the issue some folks think it is.

I'm pleased to have police and services in Florida, or any other USA jurisdiction. And I don't object to paying various taxes to support such benefits.

My issue is, that the additional medical insurance, sold in Canada, has as many exceptions as the Arabian Nights has stories. The first job of the agent, when there is a medical insurance claim, is to find a way to disallow what has been purchased in good faith. I think that is scandalous.

And it is equally scandalous that insurance fraud is rampant. I know many Canadians who have serious health issues who travel to the States to avoid the wait times associated with treatment for those issues. Fortunately, the people I know are financially able to afford those treatments. They tell me that there are many who as not as financially able (or do not have the same moral convictions) who cheat the system, travel to the states with travel policies and claim the need for emergency treatment. Apparently, it isn't hard to find physicians who are willing to support the assertion that the treatment is a medical emergency. The last line of defense against such fraud is the investigation of the claims by the insurance providers. You call it finding loopholes to avoid paying and they call it preventing fraud.

[pawatt]

If you would be interested in spending the Winter in the Rio Grande Valley you could get your care at a private hospital or clinic in Mexico. Private, not public. Many from the USA do this esp those Wintering in Mexico. You might be able to get more info on the Mexico forum.

[pawatt]

Please stick to the subject and NO politics. would hate to lose the whole thread.

[DFord]

Check out FMCA's "ASSIST" program.

FMCA Assist Program Brochure - PDF

Wave the $10 initiation fee here:

The cost of FMCA membership (available ALL RV owners - not just motorhomes anymore) is $50 a year. You couldn't buy an insurance policy like this for the cost of membership in FMCA. It manages your health care and medically necessary transportation. It includes getting your or your remains back home. It also covers returning your RV back home using a professional driver or covers the expenses for someone of your choice to drive it back for you. You couldn't buy a policy this good for this kind of money.


Sadly, the USA remains the only developed nation in the world that does no provide a system of universal health care to cover all its citizens. Unfortunately our for profit system of health care costs us almost twice as much per citizen than those other nations pay as a percentage of the GDP and our system receives much lower marks than any of those other nations. Yet many in the USA refuse to accept these facts and fiercely defend the corruption of the system that's screwing them royally. Our life span growing shorter and our infant death rate is a national shame. Our hospitals will only treat you long enough to stabilize your condition before they dump you out on the street. We are the only developed country where people go bankrupt simply because they got sick. Very sadly true but many keep repeating - thank you sir, may I have another?

[westernrvparkow]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I was full time in my class C. No property tax. No Township tax. No County tax. Some sales tax--about 11% for the time I was in Saskatchewan. But that, since I'm frugal, cost me perhaps 1200 for that time.

But I did pay LOTS of sales tax in Florida. Some how I don't think that went to Canada.

A broken leg in Canada costs $65 if you want a walking cast. DAMHIK.

On the other hand it might cost, without health insurance, surgical treatment of a broken leg typically costs $17,000 to $35,000 or more, in good ole USA.

fitznj wrote:
My tax on 57k was less than 6k. So much for "tax liability".

What no sales tax in Canada? Property Tax? Township tax? County tax?
and the other multitude of taxes.

The cost for health care has to come from somewhere, if not from
you then from your neighbour. It's certainly not "free" as you
stated.

As stated, the USA is an exceptionally generous country, if you have
medical emergency, you won't be left on the sidewalk and left to die.

If paying that sales tax in Florida was such a hardship and you feel you aren't getting your monies worth with the services such a police, fire, infrastructure etc. the state, county and cities provide with that tax revenue (that is who gets sales tax, not the federal government) you can always stay somewhere else. I doubt your Canadian Government forced you to leave your paradise on earth for that hellhole of Florida USA.

[rk911]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I was full time in my class C. No property tax. No Township tax. No County tax. Some sales tax--about 11% for the time I was in Saskatchewan. But that, since I'm frugal, cost me perhaps 1200 for that time.

But I did pay LOTS of sales tax in Florida. Some how I don't think that went to Canada.

A broken leg in Canada costs $65 if you want a walking cast. DAMHIK.

On the other hand it might cost, without health insurance, surgical treatment of a broken leg typically costs $17,000 to $35,000 or more, in good ole USA.

fitznj wrote:
My tax on 57k was less than 6k. So much for "tax liability".

What no sales tax in Canada? Property Tax? Township tax? County tax?
and the other multitude of taxes.

The cost for health care has to come from somewhere, if not from
you then from your neighbour. It's certainly not "free" as you
stated.

As stated, the USA is an exceptionally generous country, if you have
medical emergency, you won't be left on the sidewalk and left to die.

if we’re such a horrible place why come here? or you could keep on going into mexico. if you’re not “eligible”...whatever that means...and since you haven’t specified what issues you want to mitigate then just bring cash.

[rk911]

joebedford wrote:
Generous? Hahahaha. Remember, I'm Canadian. The total out-of-pocket cost of my heart treatments was nil, nada, nothing.

But that's not the debate - what can I take with me to mitigate possible problems?

the US IS a very generous country. il’ll leave it there.

if you want an answer please specify what issues you want to mitigate.

[rk911]

joebedford wrote:

rk911 wrote:
according to whom?

My regular provider has an eligibility questionnaire and I am not eligible. I've seen the same sort of questions from other providers.

what does “elegibility” mean?