"Happy Dog" wrote in message
...

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...

I bet the first 35 years of my life on the Canadian system, and it
worked
pretty damn well.

You ever need dialysis? Ever wonder what you would do if medical
attention
was available (for the person of your choice) and that you could afford,
but
not allowed? Examples of this situation abound. Try to get a
non-emergency
MRI in Toronto within a year. Try to get dialysis (even just for fun).
What did you bet on? What was your ante?

When I tore my ACL last year, it was 12 days from injury to surgery (and
that includes about five days of being chicken**** before going to the
doctor). MRI, a bunch of other tests to make sure I wouldn't croak on the
operating table (EKG, blood work...).

Surgery was five hours (with a cadaver graft) and left four 1/2 inch scars.

Total out of pocket: $50 co-pay and three prescriptions at $10 a pop for
co-pays. We pay a tidy sum for catastrophic coverage, but it's better than
the HMO whorehouse (a facet of government intervention).