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DeHackEd t1_je80ygv wrote

Reply to comment by Thegreatcornholio459 in ELI5: What is Universal Healthcare by Thegreatcornholio459

Health Insurance is something you have to get like any other type of insurance, paying a monthly fee (or getting someone like your employer to pay it for you) and all the fun of shopping around and discovering what is and isn't covered, and what other catches might exist.

By contrast, for example, I had my appendix removed. I'm a Canadian citizen. Was in and out of the hospital, never even discussed a bill or price. Procedure was basically paid for by my (and everyone else's) taxes. Everyone is covered for life-saving procedures for sure at any hospital.

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YellsAtGoats t1_je8ffmx wrote

It gets interesting at the level of nonessential care and procedures.

I too am a Canadian citizen. If I suffer a serious trauma like a gunshot wound or severely broken bone or severed appendage, I'm well taken care of on taxpayers' money. But it's not so nice for illnesses like Cancer or for less-than-urgent needs like eye care and dental care. There, I could be on a waiting list for an MRI or CAT scan for months or years, or left to pay mostly out-of-pocket for things like eyeglasses and dental surgery.

Case in point, in the Canadian system, if you don't have private insurance to cover dental care and you have gum disease, you're left to pay tens of thousands of dollars to keep your teeth from falling out of your head. If you need vision correction for poor eyesight, too bad, if you don't have private insurance for that, you're paying out of pocket for glasses/contacts/LASIK just like any American schlub. I say case in point because that's all me.

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Irbricksceo t1_je8lyxw wrote

Good news, here in America dental care is also tens of thousands. I’m looking at another 32k soon, and I’ve already spent double that. And I have what is considered good dental

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