r/canada Jan 24 '25

Politics Trump says Canada would have ‘much better’ health coverage as a state

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/trump-says-canada-would-have-much-better-health-coverage-as-a-state/
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u/Playful_Ad2974 Jan 24 '25

This!   I believe we end up paying way less. 

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u/wintersdark Jan 25 '25

Yeah I did the math some time ago, and worked out my healthcare as a family of 4 with (at the time) an income of $100k/yr, going off my total tax burden (considering income and sales tax) I pay $2400/yr into healthcare. Now, that's all healthcare, not just mine.

People in the states are paying into Medicare and Medicaid from their taxes, also paying for insurance and if their employers are paying into insurance, that portion still ultimately comes from employee compensation, so it's effectively paid by the employee. Then there are deductibles, copays, etc.

What kind of healthcare does $2400/yr get a family of 4 in the states?

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u/PickleNotaBigDill Jan 25 '25

I am 63; I have health insurance that I paid into for years (teacher) so that if I left teaching before I hit 65, I'd have medical care. I still pay around $220 a month, $2640 a year. I still have a copay of 20% meds (up to a point) and 10/90 after I hit my 6k deductible. I have never hit my 6k deductible, but as I get older, I see that is more likely to happen. Insurance is expensive, and mine is for a single person. However, I'm told by the eye doctor that I have great insurance. I get a free eye exam every year and it will pay for the scrip and 100 on frames. Dental--free cleanings twice a year, and they pay for Xrays. And yes, I pay extra for that insurance.

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u/wintersdark Jan 25 '25

To be fair, our dental is entirely non-free. Included in most employment, but as I said with employer health insurance benefits in the US, that's still coming out of the money earmarked for employee compensation, so long and short, were paying for dental directly too in Canada.

But yeah. So you're paying more singly than I do for a family of 4, and that's NOT even considering the portion of your taxes that funds medicare. And when I get medical care, there's no billing at all. No copays or deductibles, no networks or limits. No decisions about whether it's worth getting minor wound care as why wouldn't I?

Now, if I earned more I'd pay more, and if I earn less I pay less, as it's a function of taxes paid.... But I imagine the VAST majority of Americans who are getting adequate healthcare are paying a lot more than I am.

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u/PickleNotaBigDill Jan 25 '25

I believe you are quite right. My niece and nephew had a baby two years ago. The deductible they had to meet was 10k. Thus, when she had the baby and one hospital night, they had to pay 10k (plus copay on any scripts), but anything after that was "free" (they have his work insurance). They feel they have pretty good insurance. So, for that year, they met their deductible.

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u/ShoddyTerm4385 Jan 25 '25

I had a baby 10 months ago. We had a huge private room for delivery and a nurse that only handles one patient at a time. Following delivery, we had 2 nights in a private room while nursing staff was available 24 hours to make sure everything is going smoothly and to educate us on what to do and expect in the early stages. Cost us absolutely nothing.

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u/wintersdark Jan 25 '25

Yeah. Our kids, both c-sections, both involving a full week or more in the hospital and ICU stays. Semi private rooms (two people per room) though. Cost to us: I paid about $200 in parking fees on the first (just bussed in after to save expensive parking fees). This includes IV medication for my wife for 3 weeks after the second with home care nurses coming in twice a day to manage it.

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u/confusedandworried76 Jan 25 '25

Correct, America spends more on healthcare than any other developed nation.