Dogville Health Care

Canadians pride themselves on their universal health care service. It is perhaps the single most important aspect of what defines us a nation. We see ourselves as a socially enlightened country that believes everyone deserves decent medical care. We even cover the needs of our citizens when they require medical attention while traveling abroad. They are still Canadian citizens, after all, and do not cease to exist when they leave their country on holiday. Of course, we only pay up to the amount the same care would cost in Canada, which seems fair enough, and expect the injured party to make up the difference out of their own pockets. It was therefore with some pride that I submitted a claim to Nova Scotia Health for emergency health care services I had received in Spain after dislocating my shoulder in a minor accident. I was given the quality of care I would have expected to receive in Canada: the medical personnel admitted me to hospital on a stretcher, administered a shot, cleaned and dressed my wounds, took X-rays, examined my shoulder and provided general medical advice. The bill came out to $189.14, not an unreasonable amount given the quality and the generally high cost of care in an industrially advanced country like our own. I paid the bill in full before submitting a claim to Nova Scotia Medical Services Insurance. I expected to be reimbursed about half the amount claimed, but was hoping for a little more, perhaps as much as two thirds. Nova Scotia Health sent me a cheque for $15.47, along with a note stating, in capital letters, YOUR CLAIM FOR MEDICAL SERVICES RECEIVED OUTSIDE CANADA HAS BEEN PAID AT THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT ALLOWABLE BASED ON NOVA SCOTIA RATES. In other words, the going rate in Nova Scotia for emergency health care services is as little as 8.1% of that in Spain. This tells us something deeply disturbing about our country: it says that our government provides universal health care coverage for ideological, bureaucratic or economic reasons, but not because it actually cares for its citizens. The proof is that it pays the full amount when it must, and only a token amount when it can.