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Canadian couple opt for U.S. health care system

Staff photo by BOB EAST III

Bruce Gethen said the government may pay for health care but the taxes people pay for the service are higher than in the United States.

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By MICHAEL D. BATES

Hernando Today

Published: November 6, 2009

BROOKRIDGE - Having lived in Ontario and now in Brookridge, Bruce and Beverly Gethen know firsthand the differences between the American and Canadian health care systems.

They see positives in both. But while it may be flawed, they believe the United States surpasses the government-run health care coverage they had in Canada and is less of a hardship on people.

However, both agree there is too much uncertainty now and until specifics are brought forward, they are wary of the Obama administration's proposed health care reform bill.

"I think Obama really has to do some fine-tuning to it," Beverly said. "He hasn't exactly come out and said who's going to pay for all of this."

Her husband agreed.

"We don't know enough," Bruce, 81, said. "What services are going to be provided? Who's going to pay for it and how much?"

The Gethens ran a fishing lodge in Perrault Falls in northwest Ontario for 33 years before moving to Brookridge in 2002.

Their publicly funded health care was paid for and each province had its own system.

In Ontario, the government collected a percentage of profits from business owners to fund citizens' free health care.

Gethen said he turned over 4 percent of his gross annual profits in increments that increased as time went on and the business grew.

The bigger the company and the more employees on the payroll, the larger the payments to the government, he said.

He remembers his first increment was $500,000.

Gethen said the government may pay for health care but the taxes people pay for the service are higher than in the United States.

"It's from birth to death, they take care of you," Gethen said. "You have no choice."

Some can opt for private medical coverage but it's expensive, he said.

How it works

Each province gives residents a health card to present to their doctor when they are sick or have a health matter. People don't have to pick a certain coverage plan such as an HMO because everyone receives the same level of care. There are no deductibles. The doctor never asks for a co-payment or talks price.

"You never see a bill (so) you have no idea how much it costs," Beverly, 80, said.

Bruce still has his "Health Sante" card, printed in English and French, which he used whenever he went to a doctor.

Coverage was free no matter the age, sex or prior existing health condition of the patient. The only requirement was that you lived in Canada.

But there are drawbacks.

In Canada, seeing a doctor can be a slow process. It may take weeks to schedule an appointment and longer for specialists or complicated tests. The ratio of doctors to patients is higher than the U.S., Bruce said. And doctors are not as well paid in Canada as they are in America, he said.

Also, Gethen said there is abuse. People rush to doctors for sniffles or headaches because they know they can do it for free.

"(We) had excellent care but we had a couple times when we waited weeks or months to see a specialist," Beverly said.

In 1982, When Beverly fell and broke her arm and dislocated her right shoulder, she had to travel 65 miles to a hospital in Dryden, Ontario for X-rays and a temporary cast. The next morning, the hospital flew her and a nurse about 210 miles to Thunder Bay, checked into a hospital where she underwent orthopedic surgery. After six weeks in the hospital, she was flown back to Dryden and eventually she returned home.

The entire ordeal, including the airplane flights, was covered.

Beverly remembers seeing a statement that listed her hospital stays and surgery as costing $10,000. But she didn't have to pay a dime.

If people get treated in one of the other nine provinces that has a different system, they may have to pay upfront and are later reimbursed.

He also believes the health care system in Canada tends to give secondary status to the elderly.

"It's unmentioned and unrecognized," Gethen said.

The Gethens have established residency in this country and are no longer on the Canadian health care system.

They are enrolled in the Wellcare Health Plan and have no regrets.

The Canadian system is too socialistic for his tastes.

"You talk about a socialistic society, Canada is it," he said.

The system, by its very nature and bureaucracy, is prone to fraud and mismanagement, he said.

Beverly said there are advantages to Canadian health care, especially for people who need medical attention and cannot afford it. It's up to the Obama administration to take the best of that system and mold it into something that makes sense in this country, she said.

"The U.S. certainly can come up with a system that can work," she said.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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