How to see a doctor with no healthcare? - Page 2

hey guyz i have no health care and now have cancer... do doctors except cash?

For "free" you say? So you think 46% marginal tax rates with very low thresholds (that's in Ontario, even worse in Quebec and the Maritimes) are free? There are a lot of reasonable arguments for universal health care, but pretending it's free isn't one of them. Government-run health care is notoriously inefficient and expensive, which is why many in Canada are clamoring for more private care options.

Full disclosure, I'm Canadian so I know of what I speak.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/37451253

Just popped up this morning.

To the OP, where are you located? I'm sure I can find out (via word of mouth) which clinic/practitioner is the best in your city and for sure accepts cash. Be sure to move fast...if this is disrupting your sleep, its long overdue in getting it checked out!

Shitty health care? Hey Frenchie, detail for me the MASSIVE infection rates of MRSA Quebec recently saw in tertiary settings. Or that new (and increasing) fee Quebec just got.

To the OP, if you're really down on your luck, try a non-profit community health clinic. You might sit in the waiting room for a long time, being entertained by all kinds of people, but the price will range from free to cheap.

Quebec is like a whole different country in Canada with its own rules laws and fees doesnt really compare to te rest of the country. just to clarify what i meant by shitty is not the quality of US healthcare,its the EXCLUSION of people who need it,i just belive if you were born in that country,served for it etc you should have your ailments cured...even if,ESpACIALLY if you are poor and cant afford it. is that so unreasonable?

ok so now you are a bit less douchy.

in the states they have the same tax AND they have to pay on top,you missed the point.and if you dont like the canadian system move to the states,i guarantee first $50k bill you get you will run back.

So you are a non-Quebec Frenchie? Btw, each province handles it's own health care. When it comes to health care, each province/territory is like its "own country" in Canada, in regards to healthcare. I assumed you were in Quebec due to your name. So which province are you in? I can dish on all of them and Nunavut too. In case you haven't figured it out, I'm Canadian with extensive experience in health care as a clinician, as a public health person, and as a health care executive, in both the US and Canada. It's okay, I know you don't really want to match wits with me in regards to this issue, just rant. You probably just bit off way more than you can chew with me. I did move to the States. I don't even pay health care premiums, let alone get stuck with a $50k bill. Yes, life here is that good for me.

This would be interesting if you knew what you were talking about. Federal taxes in the US are way lower than in Canada, and state taxes are almost uniformly lower than Canadian provincial income taxes. In the few cases where they are comparable (NY for example when you include city tax), the higher rates in the US kick in at much higher thresholds (~$250k vs ~$110k in Canada). For professionals, these differences add up to thousands of dollars a year, which is more than enough to buy private health insurance (even if your employer doesn't provide it). If you have a job, there's no reason you should ever get a $50k bill in the US. Even if you lose your job, there are a number of private insurance alternatives that exist. Admittedly if you're extremely poor or have been unemployed for very long stretches, this might not be the case. This isn't my situation, so I'd much rather make a lot more money, pay less in taxes, buy my own health care when needed (instead of subsidizing everyone else's like in Canada) and enjoy the better general level of care available in the US. You can just go on pretending that you're enjoying "free" health care in Canada. I hope you never need to undergo an "elective" procedure, like getting a hip replacement when you're 60 years old and in chronic pain. Good luck with the 12-18 month wait times...

Move to Canada

Couldn't agree more. Frenchy is completely clueless saying that Canada and the US are taxed the same. I live in Canada and would much prefer more privatization, our current system is hugely inefficent and costly. If I lived in the States I would have quicker acccess to health care, better service and more money in my pocket.

In a nutshell, we're too heavily populated and too diverse from a socio-economic standpoint.

Agree with you 100%. Absence of a safety net is so scary.