this post was submitted on 03 May 2026
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As an American I'm curious what it's like if you need to go to the doctor and how much you pay from say a broken arm to general checkup. Also list what country please

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[–] ODGreen@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Canadian:

Lots of things are covered, not even a bill or anything to sign put in front of you. Childbirth: $0. ER visit for an injury: $0. Tests of all kinds: $0

Mental, dental, and eye care are out of pocket. If you have a job that is a "career", as in not fast food etc., you will likely have some workplace coverage for that stuff through insurance. My insurance covers eye exam and some money for glasses every 2 years, fairly generous amount for dental that will pay for cleaning and cavity filling and small procedures, drug coverage so most medications are $0, but sadly only a pittance for mental health (therapy, psychiatrist, etc).

[–] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

I think some mental health can be covered as well but the waitlists are insane, like 2-3 years in my province.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world -1 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Trade off: waiting hours to almost have a day in the emergency room.

Months if a year to get a therapist.

[–] Bwaz@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Not necessarily. Some years back my daughter attended college at U Guelph (Ontario, Canada), we lived in Ohio, USA. She was home for a summer break when a health issue came up needing an appointment with a specialist. In Ohio, with our insurance (considered pretty good in USA terms) she was unable to get an appointment any sooner than more than a month after she had to return to college. So she went back to Guelph. And had an appointment within a week there! Waiting times in USA under almost any current insurance for more than seeing a nurse are also outrageously long.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world -2 points 1 week ago

So because it doesn't affect you personally you don't see the problem. Meanwhile a lot of first nations are abandoned.

[–] Tarquinn2049@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That is an entirely separate problem that has nothing to do with if your country has universal Healthcare or privatized Healthcare. Places with private Healthcare can have just as long wait times, and places with universal Healthcare can have short wait times. Only the people trying to corrupt a system say that it will fix the wait times, don't believe them.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

And if you're first nations: people like you get to talk over the problem.

Go canada.

[–] Tarquinn2049@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

What is a person like me?

[–] Tippy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You keep posting this like it's a gotcha to universal healthcare, but it's really not. I worked in an ER here in the US in an area with a population of roughly 165,000 so nowhere near metro levels. Our wait times are on average 8-12 hours, depending on what you wanted to be seen for. Sometimes longer during busy periods, like summer months or holidays. And you pay thousands to be seen.

Which is better, waiting 12 hours and being treated for no outstanding cost regardless of the outcome, or waiting 12 hours and then paying thousands / tens of thousands for the same treatment?

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Tippy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Keep screaming into the void about everything being awful and demanding random internet strangers develop completely perfect and personalized healthcare just for you, I'm sure it'll help.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

I’ll take it over being apologetic and complacent psychopath at someone for even suggesting there’s a problem to be fixed.

You invited yourself to the blame game and you’re playing it. Don’t blame the game if you’re a willing player.

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

waiting hours to almost have a day in the emergency waiting room.

I think if you're waiting that long in the emergency room, you might be in the wrong place. Or unlucky. And/or in a place that's understaffed and underfunded.

Most emergencies can't wait an entire day.

[–] psycotica0@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There are two ways to get a doctor faster.

The first is to increase the supply of doctors: more doctors, more nurses, more beds in hospitals, more clinics, more MRI machines. Any government with a public healthcare system can do this at any time by allocating more funds to the public healthcare system, either increasing the taxes people pay, or diverting tax money from something else. If a country isn't bankrupt and isn't doing this, it's a choice.

The second way is to have private clinics that use money as a way to skip triage. To allow wealthy people to pay their way ahead of poor people to the same small supply of doctors. This is the way most people who rail against public healthcare see the solution going, but the part they don't say out loud is "I want poor people to suffer more so I can suffer less". Because that's what that solution is, it's what it boils down to, but for some reason saying "I want to sell my suffering to the desperate" makes it feel less fun.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

The myth that you get faster care or better care in a private clinic has got to stop.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That's not different in private healthcare.

Also, if you have to wait hours, then you shouldn't be in ER. The triage system prioritizes care.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

People waiting in er for 3 hrs don’t have a choice. They aren’t setting the time schedule. Some areas have no other option but to go to the hospital since they closed all the clinics.

If you’re just forcing people to sit in a room to see how bad they are in if someone dies off, that’s a sick game, and you shouldn’t be in health care. You should be behind bars.