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#38 About the Canadian healthcare system
Transcript ↓
It’s been for 2 weeks or more since I uploaded the latest episode. It is because I had a cold and was coughing all the time. Surprisingly, it lasted for 2 weeks which was longer than expected. It was tough because I was not allowed to come to work while I had a cough. That means I took days off for 2 weeks. That was terrible…I missed the Christmas party that I was supposed to attend, shopping on Boxing day and any opportunities to meet my friend. But luckily I still have a job and I’m glad that I would come back to work.
Anyways, it was the first time to have been sick since I came here. This time I saw a doctor only online and took over-the-counter medicine without any prescription because it was difficult to find a walk-in clinic during the holiday season.
But instead, I guess this is a good opportunity for learning about the Canadian healthcare system. So I just want to pick up some points that I got to know about it.
Firstly, In Canada, as in Japan, a universal health insurance system called medicare is adopted. The great thing about this system is that patients do not have to pay any medical costs. In Japan, generally speaking, we pay 30% of the medical expenses at the hospital counter, but in Canada, you do not have to pay anything at the hospital. Once you are done, you can go home as it is. Also, there is no monthly payment for "National Health Insurance" because everything is covered by taxes. But unfortunately I couldn’t take this benefit because now I only have travel insurance and not a member of this system.
In addition, one of the differences between the Canadian and Japanese healthcare systems is the family doctor system. A family doctor is the primary physician of the family. It has both advantages and disadvantages. As long as you have a family doctor, you might feel relieved because you can consult whatever about your health with the same doctor. But here is the thing. In Japan, you can always choose your own specialist whenever you want and go to the hospital of your choice, on the other hand, in Canada you cannot go to see a specialist without a referral from a family doctor. Sometimes you turn out to kill the time if it is difficult to get an appointment with a family doctor, and even if you can get an appointment. Even if you are referred to a specialist, the appointment may be several months or a year later. The reason for this is that the number of facilities and doctors are limited due to the government's policy of curbing medical expenses.
That means it is not an environment where anyone can receive medical care immediately as they want. Anyways, I felt I should have applied for medicare as soon as possible and gotten a family doctor in advance. It was regrettable.
What do you think about healthcare system in your country? This time I figured out that I love the Japanese medicare system because it is much easier to find a doctor whenever I want.
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By Charlie BlueTranscript ↓
It’s been for 2 weeks or more since I uploaded the latest episode. It is because I had a cold and was coughing all the time. Surprisingly, it lasted for 2 weeks which was longer than expected. It was tough because I was not allowed to come to work while I had a cough. That means I took days off for 2 weeks. That was terrible…I missed the Christmas party that I was supposed to attend, shopping on Boxing day and any opportunities to meet my friend. But luckily I still have a job and I’m glad that I would come back to work.
Anyways, it was the first time to have been sick since I came here. This time I saw a doctor only online and took over-the-counter medicine without any prescription because it was difficult to find a walk-in clinic during the holiday season.
But instead, I guess this is a good opportunity for learning about the Canadian healthcare system. So I just want to pick up some points that I got to know about it.
Firstly, In Canada, as in Japan, a universal health insurance system called medicare is adopted. The great thing about this system is that patients do not have to pay any medical costs. In Japan, generally speaking, we pay 30% of the medical expenses at the hospital counter, but in Canada, you do not have to pay anything at the hospital. Once you are done, you can go home as it is. Also, there is no monthly payment for "National Health Insurance" because everything is covered by taxes. But unfortunately I couldn’t take this benefit because now I only have travel insurance and not a member of this system.
In addition, one of the differences between the Canadian and Japanese healthcare systems is the family doctor system. A family doctor is the primary physician of the family. It has both advantages and disadvantages. As long as you have a family doctor, you might feel relieved because you can consult whatever about your health with the same doctor. But here is the thing. In Japan, you can always choose your own specialist whenever you want and go to the hospital of your choice, on the other hand, in Canada you cannot go to see a specialist without a referral from a family doctor. Sometimes you turn out to kill the time if it is difficult to get an appointment with a family doctor, and even if you can get an appointment. Even if you are referred to a specialist, the appointment may be several months or a year later. The reason for this is that the number of facilities and doctors are limited due to the government's policy of curbing medical expenses.
That means it is not an environment where anyone can receive medical care immediately as they want. Anyways, I felt I should have applied for medicare as soon as possible and gotten a family doctor in advance. It was regrettable.
What do you think about healthcare system in your country? This time I figured out that I love the Japanese medicare system because it is much easier to find a doctor whenever I want.