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Originally Posted by Mutt
For the average person, 'free' healthcare is wonderful - you're 25, you work at Kinkos, and get appendicitis, you're operated on and out in a few days not owing a thing - an American at that age usually doesn't have any insurance and he leaves the hospital with a debt of probably $40,000. Depressed? Anxious? The government pays for your shrink - a weekly visit to a private shrink is a luxury for the rich in the United States. In Canada it's a right.
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You're right on the money there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutt
working Canadians pay much more in taxes than Americans do. If you're upper middle class you'll be paying more for healthcare via taxes than a similar person in the United States pays for a good health insurance plan.
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But I'll beg to disagree with you on that point. Canadians earning a higher income pay in the 40-45% range for income tax. So do Americans.
Canadians earning a middle or moderate level of income pay in the 35-40% range... so do Americans.
Maybe it differs from place to place in Canada, I don't know, but I've been a taxpaying citizen for over 26 years and know 100's of others in all tax brackets from low to high and I'm not seeing a difference in what we pay in income tax to what Americans pay. 40% is 40% regardless of what country you live in. I know some in the US pay as much as $600 to $1k per month for health insurance PLUS they pay income tax. How is that cheaper than what we pay in taxes alone? It isn't.
And nothing beats going in for a hospital stay, getting top level care, and leaving with a bill of $0.00 owing. Nothing. I'm not nor would I ever say our system is perfect, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
How many have come onto this very board in the past 6 years and told of how they or someone they know has gone in for some emergency surgery or trauma etc and now owes tens of thousands of dollars? How many? I can recall dozens. NO thank you.