Achoo! Can someone pass me a tissue, again? It seems like not a week goes by without someone in my family being sick. It’s ‘cold and flu’ season in Canada, and we sure have had our share. The whole bunch of us went through countless colds, a couple episodes of a gastro virus, and a brush with the flu and high fevers.
We’ve had so many visits to the doctor’s office to check the kids’ cold symptoms (Is it an ear infection? Is there a wheeze in the baby’s chest?) that the receptionist recognises my voice over the phone.
Yes, it’s me again. I’m bringing in this child, this time. No, the other one is doing better now, thank you.
I have three children ages five and under. Someone is always sick or getting sick. We live in the land of the runny nose. Two of my children have serious special needs and they have their own unique medical concerns. So we go to the doctor, a lot.
And we remain grateful. Because all those trips to the doctor do not cost me a dime out of pocket.
I live in a country with universal healthcare. This means there is a government-run funding program for basic medical and emergency care expenses. In Ontario, Canada our program is publicly funded, so my taxes help pay for the services I use.
So a recent trip to the hospital Emergency Department when the baby had croup and was barking like a little seal did not cost me anything, other than a great deal of worry. Nurses, doctors, machinery and medicine were all paid for. Another visit to the Emergency Department when my three year old daughter had her elbow ‘pulled’ (the bones were pulled apart) meant that three different doctors, x-rays, and all the nurses and technicians were paid for out of my province’s health care program.
I cannot calculate the cost of having three different doctors examine my daughter. (I know most private insurers allocate a $100 or so dollars per visit.) I don’t know what three of them would cost. I do know x-rays cost at least $200, and she had several different views.
I cannot imagine having to worry about paying out of pocket or if an insurance plan would pay for any of this. I cannot imagine dealing with financial stress on top of an already stressful situation. I cannot imagine having to make a decision between healthcare and paying for basic needs. I cannot imagine the pressure of huge amounts of debt due to healthcare services.
But this is the reality for many families around the world.
I am lucky. Others are not so. I know I am very fortunate, and I remain grateful for the things we have received.
But I believe everyonehas the right to the same healthcare services that my family uses. I do not think people should be forced into financial hardship to have basic healthcare. One of the goals of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to help countries create health financing systems that will lead to universal coverage. WHO realises that one step toward better healthcare for all is removing financial barriers that prevent people from accessing the basic healthcare services they need.
Obviously the universal healthcare funding pot is only so deep, so there are many things that we need to pay for separately, either out of pocket or through private insurance. In Ontario we need to pay for most medications, dental care, physiotherapy, and vision care – and there are some convoluted rules about who qualifies for what coverage, depending on your age and need. But the bottom line is most basic medical and emergency care is covered by the province.
I know in Ontario many people complain about ‘wait times’ to see a doctor or ‘doctor shortages.’ Depending on the time of visit, the nature of the clinic or hospital, and the type of health concern you could wait for hours.
When my son, then aged two, fractured his femur from his hip to knee, our local hospital sent us to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, a world-renown healthcare facility. My son was medically stable and we were told the wait for an available operating room could be up to eight or ten hours. So we packed diapers and lunch, and waited in a private room with a flat screen television, watching cartoons the whole time. Nurses and doctors checked on us, and eventually my son’s leg was reset.
The whole episode was painful and traumatic for all of us, but nowhere as bad as being handed a bill for thousands of dollars in healthcare services.
This is an original post to World Moms Blog. Angela is a Special Education Teacher and parent of two children with Special Needs. She writes about her super-powered, special needs life at http://halfpastnormal.wordpress.com/ Photo Credit: Seattle Municipal Archives via Compfight cc
Angela – it sounds like you live in my house! Since October there was hardly a week gone by that we didn’t have someone sick with something…. I am looking forward to the spring 🙂
I agree that some parts of universal healthcare do work (and am envious of you not having to pay a dime for the basics – I have to pay up to $50 per visit), but there are also some problems with them too. Like you said, the wait time is one. You mention that you are not covered for dental or vision or prescriptions, and glasses or medication can be very expensive. Also, there is a shortage of doctors, since they are not paid as well as they are in the US. Meanwhile the private insurance sector in the US is one big overpriced scam. Someone should go back to the drawing board and find a good balance between the two. 🙂
I am a working mom simply for the healthcare. As a teacher, my benefits are fantastic and are more than generous. But, I was forced to make the decision to go back to work, once my maternity leave went past three months. It would have cost about the same as my mortgage to enjoy the time at home with my daughter, while still keeping my health benefits. My husband’s benefits, at the small ad agency where he works, cover the basics, but the out-of-pocket cost is insane- almost as much as our mortgage. So, it always makes me sad that I had to sacrifice my daughter’s quality time in order to make sure that we (my family) were covered medically. This has also impacted my decision to not have another child, because I do not want to have to make the decision between staying home and having semi-decent healthcare but no extra money to have a nice quality of life or putting my child in daycare in order to cover the cost of great healthcare.
Alison,
It is interesting to hear how healthcare is run where you live. Here, in the U.S., we have to pay for a lot!
Interesting post!
I know how lucky we are here in New Zealand to have a universal health care system but this post just reminded me how lucky. It would be wonderful if everyone in the world had the same.
I LOVE Cape Town (South Africa), but my medical expenses are outrageous! 🙁
Unfortunately there is some “free” healthcare, but that’s EXCLUSIVELY for the totally destitute and the wait times etc are horrendous. The vast majority of us simply pray A LOT that we don’t get sick or, God forbid, end up in an accident!!
So called “medical aids” (like medical insurance) are prohibitevely expensive and always seem to have a clause to make you co-pay for most things. My aunt ended up paying over R20 000 out of pocket despite paying around R2 000 per month insurance for most of her (healthy) life, because she had to be operated for breast cancer. 🙁
My family doesn’t enjoy the protection of any kind of medical insurance as we can’t afford it. My “chronic” meds alone cost me around R600 per month. One doctor’s visit can cost up to R500 and around R1 000 to see a specialist!
I just consider myself lucky that (so far) we’ve managed to settle our medical bills … with the aid of credit cards!
I am amazed at the differences in health care around the world, and consider myself lucky to have a healthcare public system. I cannot imagine having to make hard financial decisions while ill. I wish everyone well in this!