The Great Canadian System

Do you have 5-8 hours?Because that’s how long it can take to be admitted to an emergency room in Canada. I've been to my fair share of emergency rooms, and the longest wait time I’ve experienced was 14 hours. The shortest was 4 hours, just to see someone about the pain I was in.

Citizens of the USA are often jealous of Canada’s free healthcare. But trust me, you might die before you see someone about the cancer growing in your back, spreading like wildfire. You’d like to get an MRI or CT scan, right? Well, the waitlist for that goes on for months—or even years.

Imagine being in excruciating pain, passing in and out of consciousness, and not seeing a nurse for 14 hours. The rule of thumb is: if you're going to the emergency room, take the estimated wait time, double it, and that’s how long you’ll be stuck there before you see a doctor. A friend of mine in the States was in and out of the emergency room in 3 hours—he had blood work done, a CT scan, an MRI, saw the doctor, and was out.

I know what you’re probably thinking: “Yeah, but how much did he spend?” Just under $400, thanks to the great insurance he has. Without insurance, sure, it’s tough to make ends meet, but at least you’ll still be alive by the time you leave.

Now, imagine this:You’re in unbearable pain—so much that you’re slurring your words, your body is shivering from weakness, you’ve got chills, but you’re also heating up and cooling down at the same time. You’ve passed out five times and regained consciousness six times since you left the ambulance. Why? Because you’ve been waiting in the emergency room for about twelve hours, hoping a nurse will call your name so they can take you to see a doctor. People who seem less sick than you have gone in and out of the room already.

Then, the selfish thoughts creep in: “Should I have lied about how much pain I’m in?” or “Should I scream next time?” or “What if I lean closer to the edge of the chair, so when I faint again, I’ll fall and they’ll notice me?” Just when you’re about to leave, they finally call your name. Relief washes over you, but then you’re taken to another waiting room. Twenty minutes go by, and finally, a nurse takes your vitals and leaves. You wait another 30 minutes for the doctor who’s supposedly “going to see you in five minutes.” That’s Canadian healthcare: waiting a full day before seeing a doctor.

Now, let’s talk about the USA. Yes, healthcare there can get ridiculously expensive, with all sorts of hidden fees that add up quickly. You could end up with thousands of dollars in medical bills for a single day’s stay. But I looked up some stats: 79 million Americans are stuck with medical debt. So, either we’re drowning in medical expenses or waiting years for surgery.

I’ve had ovarian cysts for years and was scheduled for surgery to remove them. The wait time was 4 to 6 months—luckily, the issue cleared up before the surgery, as the cysts shrank on their own. But the wait times in Canada are ridiculous. Many cancer patients, especially those in clinical trials, are going to the U.S. because the wait times there are often half of what they are in Canada.

So, yes, our healthcare is "free," but is it really better? The doctors we have…is another issue. Yes, some are very good at what they do, others though they tell you that it is nothing and send you home with the recommendation that you take Advil or Tylenol. However, that’s an issue for another day.

Let me ask again: Do you have another 5 - 8 hours to spend in emergency?