Do Not Ever Get Injured in Canada! How we spent our last Day at Homcoming

[SpyderCruiser]

First, I want to say we thoroughly enjoyed homecoming, BRP and their employees were friendly and informative. If I asked a question they could not answer, they found someone that could. We also had a great time meeting many of you at the dinners. Overall it was a nice affair and hope we can attend the 20 year homecoming (if they have one).

Things we hated Canada for, the crappy pot holed roads, their health care system.

While we were there Meg sustained and injury in her arm that required stiches.

It was almost impossible to communicate with anyone in the hospital as no one spoke English. Pulling the towel off and let blood drip all over the floor of the hospital gave them some clue. Still had to wait about a half hour for a nurse to at least bandage it up. You have to actually pick up a number tag like you are getting cold cuts at a grocery store.Then there was the issue of payment, so before they would even place Meg on a waiting list to be seen by the doctor, payment had to be resolved.

Had to give them a $5,000 (yes that is 5 thousand dollars) down payment in advance before Meg was to be seen. That was resolved by 2:30 PM. Hours and hours went by and we still were not called. Trying to ask them when Meg would be seen was futile, no one spoke English. But we can see no one that came in behind us was called either.

By 9:30 PM Meg had had enough and went back into the triage section. Fortunately a nurse came over that spoke very little English and explained that there was still 10 patients ahead of her! Finally at 12:30 AM she got treated by the doctor who spoke English and sewed her up with 7 stitches. Have no idea what the hospital bill is actually going to be, they do not do billing right away. But boy they wasted no time collecting that $5000.00 Dollars.

I know the USA has some issues with healthcare as well and is not perfect, but I have to wonder how many Canadian citizens die in that waiting room!

[Bob Denman]

I hope that Meg heals up quickly and completely!

We all like to complain about our healthcare system (I pay over $1700 bucks a Month!); but it's still better than a lot of the others!

[cuznjohn]

i have several friends that live in canada. they all say it sucks with hospitals and medical care. one friend, mark, hurt his knee at work. he needed surgery before he was able to go back to work, it was close to 1 year before he was able to have the surgery. if you read about their health care, you will see that some of their people that have some sort of money, come to the states for any type of major surgery. i hope your wife is well, and doesn't end up with a scar from the injury

[Deanna777]

Louie,

I hope that Meg heals quickly from her injury.

Deanna

[gkamer]

I wonder if the bill is going to come out to less than 5 grand. I'm guess it won't but you never know.

[RinconRyder]

All of Canada is not like Quebec. In fact, Quebec is unto itself almost completely. Here are some suggestions:

Temporary health coverage for travelers is available. It probably makes sense to investigate that when visiting areas where language may be a problem and/or your domestic insurance policy may not be honored. And it seems to make more sense when participating in a "dangerous" activity (I know, I know, but motorcycling isn't exactly a cruise ship.)

There are smartphone apps which can do simple language translations. Might be a good idea to practice with one of those before heading into an area where English is either not spoken or is not tolerated (Quebecers are notorious for refusing to speak English even if they know it).

And lastly, it tends to happen all over and not just in Canada. My wife went to a local ER with a simple fracture of her wrist and waited over 9 hours for treatment (which was botched and required remedial surgery to correct) and that was here in the States and with insurance.

[UtahPete]

First, I want to say we thoroughly enjoyed homecoming, BRP and their employees were friendly and informative. If I asked a question they could not answer, they found someone that could. We also had a great time meeting many of you at the dinners. Overall it was a nice affair and hope we can attend the 20 year homecoming (if they have one).

Things we hated Canada for, the crappy pot holed roads, their health care system.

I know the USA has some issues with healthcare as well and is not perfect, but I have to wonder how many Canadian citizens die in that waiting room!

Interesting experience. As far as wait time goes, I'm not sure it was that much worse than you would have experienced getting non-life-threatening attention at an emergency room in a major US city where you were a visitor. No telling how many real emergencies they had to deal with, or whether within their system you would have been better off going to something like an urgent care system. That's part of the challenge and adventure of traveling in other countries - learning how to navigate their customs and institutions.

I'm reluctant to go back to Canada after the brief, 1/2 day experience we had a few years back going thru a short stretch of Canada at the Michigan Upper Peninsula. Dogs with us, no cell phone service (didn't want to pay international roaming fees), trying to find fuel, etc. But the worst part was the border check; we were held for over an hour while the border cops did a thorough search of our van and travel trailer, consulted their computers and each other, never knowing why we had been selected for such a thorough going-over. Cops were not unpleasant, but weren't very helpful or friendly either. Finally, I was asked where we were hiding our guns! They just would not believe that, as Utah residents, we didn't own and carry guns everywhere we went. Finally let us go, but when we went to re-enter the US, realized they had kept my driver's license at the Canadian border station. US border agents tried to contact Canadian, but to no avail. Altogether an unpleasant experience that unfortunately left me to this day with the conviction not to cross that border again.

[MurrayBrown]

First, I want to say we thoroughly enjoyed homecoming, BRP and their employees were friendly and informative. If I asked a question they could not answer, they found someone that could. We also had a great time meeting many of you at the dinners. Overall it was a nice affair and hope we can attend the 20 year homecoming (if they have one). Things we hated Canada for, the crappy pot holed roads, their health care system. While we were there Meg sustained and injury in her arm that required stiches. It was almost impossible to communicate with anyone in the hospital as no one spoke English. Pulling the towel off and let blood drip all over the floor of the hospital gave them some clue. Still had to wait about a half hour for a nurse to at least bandage it up. You have to actually pick up a number tag like you are getting cold cuts at a grocery store.Then there was the issue of payment, so before they would even place Meg on a waiting list to be seen by the doctor, payment had to be resolved. Had to give them a $5,000 (yes that is 5 thousand dollars) down payment in advance before Meg was to be seen. That was resolved by 2:30 PM. Hours and hours went by and we still were not called. Trying to ask them when Meg would be seen was futile, no one spoke English. But we can see no one that came in behind us was called either. By 9:30 PM Meg had had enough and went back into the triage section. Fortunately a nurse came over that spoke very little English and explained that there was still 10 patients ahead of her! Finally at 12:30 AM she got treated by the doctor who spoke English and sewed her up with 7 stitches. Have no idea what the hospital bill is actually going to be, they do not do billing right away. But boy they wasted no time collecting that $5000.00 Dollars. I know the USA has some issues with healthcare as well and is not perfect, but I have to wonder how many Canadian citizens die in that waiting room!

Thanks for this. I'm pleased to note that with the horrible exception you did enjoy your stay here. Your comments are well understood but also require just a little bit of explanation. If you were to be a visitor to the USA, you would not like what would be before you in terms of payments up front and the HORRID amounts asked for. Seriously, it verges on criminal. However, having said that, I can let you know that those of us in Canada do not like our health care system at all. Many Canadians are under the assumption that it is free. Yes, it is ... sort of. You pay nothing when you go see a doctor, nor when you are in the hospital. Acute care, such as cancer treatments, heart bypasses, etc. are "free". What many Canadians forget completely is that they are paying ... dearly ... through many, many, taxes. The GST (Goods and Services Tax), also known as VAT in European and other countries, is 5% on every single purchase except groceries (snacks and sodas are taxed). Add on the Provincial (your equivalent State) tax, and that can range from 7% here in Manitoba to upwards of 12% or so in other Provinces. We can't purchase private insurance as you can. The "up" side is that everybody ... poor or rich ... are covered, unlike in the USA. However, under the laws that govern the Canadian health care, no private hospitals or day clinics can be implemented. As an example, I need to have a cataract in my right eye fixed. I waited almost 1 year to see an eye surgeon. After that, I will be waiting for at least 6 to 8 months for the actual surgery. No eye surgeons can open a day clinic to do what is, essentially, as simple 15-minute surgery. Emergency waiting room time waits? You experienced what we have to put up with every day.

So, again, thanks for coming to Canada and especially the Homecoming. I am sorry to learn of your health care experience, but rest assured that there are many of us here who can well empathize.

[Tazzel]

Next time take some super glue. This is about what they use at the hospitals these days for the liquid stitching. Might work until you can get back to the US. My Brother was on a business trip in China when at 55 his appendix decided to suddenly rupture. Its was an experience he will never forget!!!

[Chupaca]

Sorry to hear of your unfortunate situation. Hope recovery is going well. Have not heard good things about health care over there and I guess it varies with other countries with their system. Had an experience in France and it was the complete opposite. Charged me nothing saw me right away gave me persciptions that the pharmacy did not charge me and a few week back from the trip I got all x-rays and medical files in the mail...Glad you did finally get taken care of....

[Netminder]

Speaking from experience (throat cancer 6yrs ago) if you have something life threatening the care provided is excellent, but none life threatening and it can be a long wait. Also getting a family doctor is near impossible, mine retired two years ago , and I have been unable to find one that is taking new patients!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

.... very sorry to hear about this , I hope she's feeling better ..... Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thanks for this. I'm pleased to note that with the horrible exception you did enjoy your stay here. Your comments are well understood but also require just a little bit of explanation. If you were to be a visitor to the USA, you would not like what would be before you in terms of payments up front and the HORRID amounts asked for. Seriously, it verges on criminal. However, having said that, I can let you know that those of us in Canada do not like our health care system at all. Many Canadians are under the assumption that it is free. Yes, it is ... sort of. You pay nothing when you go see a doctor, nor when you are in the hospital. Acute care, such as cancer treatments, heart bypasses, etc. are "free". What many Canadians forget completely is that they are paying ... dearly ... through many, many, taxes. The GST (Goods and Services Tax), also known as VAT in European and other countries, is 5% on every single purchase except groceries (snacks and sodas are taxed). Add on the Provincial (your equivalent State) tax, and that can range from 7% here in Manitoba to upwards of 12% or so in other Provinces. We can't purchase private insurance as you can. The "up" side is that everybody ... poor or rich ... are covered, unlike in the USA. However, under the laws that govern the Canadian health care, no private hospitals or day clinics can be implemented. As an example, I need to have a cataract in my right eye fixed. I waited almost 1 year to see an eye surgeon. After that, I will be waiting for at least 6 to 8 months for the actual surgery. No eye surgeons can open a day clinic to do what is, essentially, as simple 15-minute surgery. Emergency waiting room time waits? You experienced what we have to put up with every day.

So, again, thanks for coming to Canada and especially the Homecoming. I am sorry to learn of your health care experience, but rest assured that there are many of us here who can well empathize.

Mr .Brown you are mis-informed about who pays in the USA vs. Canada ..... if you as a Canadian appeared at an Emergency room in the US and had no money you would be treated as if you had money coming out your *** .... No one would have DEMANDED $5,000 up front before treatment .... like Meg & Lou were ....... I'm not an expert in either Health care system .... but in the US , you CAN'T BE REFUSED ( for lack of funds )- at a public hospital PERIOD ....... Mike

[Saluda]

Wish her the best.

[wyliec]

I hope she is on the mend.

Won't you get some reimbursement from your insurance? Before we left for the Cayman Islands, I checked to see what I might have to do, if by chance I had an accident while on vacation. I just had to get detailed dr's bills, and submit. Here's hoping you get some reimbursement.

[jcthorne]

Just a bit of information that may help others in this situation.

Most motorist assistance programs like AAA and AARP have a medical insurance bond certificate with the information on the back of the card. It actually works. A few phone calls and the medical bills are guaranteed for payment. You are not off the hook for payment but in most cases, your US based medical insurance will help after the fact. This bond works in Canada and in some of Mexico depending on your plan.

There are also global versions of this. I carry one from my employer as it can get much more involved if you are hurt in a third world country and need evac.

[SpyderCruiser]

Thank you all for your get well wishes, and other helpful information. Meg is doing great, changed her bandage today and she is no longer bleeding. The Canadian female doctor did a wonderful job sewing her up, Meg has no pain at all.

My USA Horizon blue cross blue shield insurance (costs a little less then Bob is paying) says on the card limited out of USA coverage.
I called them as suggested, and was told they pay out of USA claims on a case by case basis. So when I receive the bill, will send it along and see what happens. If they even pay part of it, I will be happy.

Called the Hospital in Drummondville today and found out the bill was $849 Cad, about $628 US. They are suppose to refund my credit card the balance of the 5 grand deposit. I have no idea what this bill would be in the US, but I bet it would be more then $628.

Sorry to hear that you Canadians have long waits for the health care you need. I did some quick calculations and your health care costs less then what we pay here. I do think it is crazy that doctors are not allowed to have there own practice there. I guess the Canadian government does not want any competition with the government run health care system. Be glad you have health insurance, we had none for 2 1/2 years and it sucked.

Take Care,
Louie and Meg

[rogerb]

You can't compare Quebec to the rest of Canada. The Maritime Provinces are great. I have been in the hospitals twice in Nova Scotia. The first time it took me ten minutes to be checked out. I don't even remember how much it cost me. The second time was an accident had to ride in an ambulance. The emergency room was $114.00. The ambulance was $900. My auto insurance paid for the ambulance. They do check on you to make sure your doing fine. Heck the RMCP officer called me at home to see how I was doing. The biggest plus is they only speak English. It would be interesting to listen to a Scotsman speak French.

[LateLifeCrisis]

I hope that Meg heals up quickly and completely!

We all like to complain about our healthcare system (I pay over $1700 bucks a Month!); but it's still better than a lot of the others!

Same thing can be said for America and our government. It's far from perfect, "but it's still better than a lot of the others!"

[Firefly]

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but to judge the entire Canadian healthcare system by your bad experience is unfair. I thought it was common knowledge that you should obtain travelers health coverage when going to a foreign country.... guess not all are aware of this. I didn't get it, but I also wouldn't expect a foreign county to accept my USA based healthcare insurance.

Over the years of Spyder ownership, and having relatives in Canada, I've heard good things about their healthcare system. Most Canadians seem to like it. Perhaps not perfect, much of this due to lack of decent infrastructure... face it.. they have 40 million people in a country larger than the USA... not a problem we'd have here as we already have the infrastructure in place.

Last time I went to an ER in the USA with a bleeding cut to the head from a chainsaw I had to wait 6 hours to be seen. Yeah.. so things suck here in the USA too....

[Firefly]

Another thing to mention... Valcourt is only about an hour from the US border. Perhaps a road trip back to the USA would have been the best route....

[Spyder_Cowgirl]

...Last time I went to an ER in the USA with a bleeding cut to the head from a chainsaw I had to wait 6 hours to be seen. Yeah.. so things suck here in the USA too....

Cut to head and chainsaw in the same sentence! Yikes, that sounds bad! Hope you had a good recovery (after your 6 hour wait).

All the best .... Ann

[Bob Denman]

Another thing to mention... Valcourt is only about an hour from the US border. Perhaps a road trip back to the USA would have been the best route....

That's EXACTLY what Tom & Ali did during the Homecoming...

[bushrat]

Sorry to learn of your wife's injury and need for treatment, as outlined in your OP. Delighted to read your message in post #17 that she is on the mend and that your expenses were far less than first feared. And to note that your comments and comparisons re our Canadian health care system are now far less alarmist and extreme than first expressed.

I'm a Canadian. I also spend a fair amount of time in the US. I have experienced the need to seek medical attention in both countries, as well as having done so in Europe. In short, there is a whole lot of misinformation spread in the US about the Canadian system; a lot of it is plain exaggerated and dishonest bs spread by those whose political interests are slanted more to non-governmental health services, those which can be great if you are wealthy, work steadily for a gigantic corporation, etc. However, if you are middle class or lower, have recently moved, have previous conditions or change jobs, you can be SOL. Maybe I'm biassed, but I'll take the Canadian plan (with all its faults) any day. Yes, we can improve. Yes, wait times can sometimes be slow. Yes, some folks go out of country to find specialists not readily found in Canada. But, by and large, our system works well, covers everyone, and NO ONE is refused, not even those who are refugees crashing our borders to escape tyranny elsewhere. You may be asked to pay, but rarely is it even as much as you would in the good old USA.

Case in point: you got your health care after a modest wait, in a non-life threatening situation for what you state is likely less cost than had you been home. I know not why it took so long; could have been one of those days when calamities strike an area en masse. Very strange that no one would speak English to you in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, where lots of English-speaking folks have resided; but Quebecers do take pride in protecting their FIRST language rights and one should also respect that English is a minority language there, as in much of the World. Still, English is one of two Official Languages in Canada, and visitors should be extended every courtesy. As a Canadian, I apologize if you were not accorded proper treatment. As for health care services, what you experienced is no different from what happens when I travel to Florida.

First of all, I purchase out of country health insurance; that costs me several thousand dollars each year for the 4 or 5 months I'm away. A couple of years back, over New Years, I suffered from severe back pains on my right side, strong enough that I felt I was being run through by a spear. Then a rash over back and right leg. Days were barely passable; nights were pure agony. I put up with it for several days; there was nowhere to go over the Holidays. Once New Years had passed, I went to the local regional hospital emergency. First, I had to hand over my credit card. Secondly, no one would even talk to me until they first got clearance from my health insurer via long distance call. That took up the first hour; another hour passed before I got to see a triage nurse, and only then a doctor. He spent all of two minutes with me - had me raise my shirt, lower my paints, and looked at my rash. Said "you've got shingles; I'll write a prescription" and disappeared. No one wanted to know about the searing back pains; no one bothered with my questions about whether I might have kidney stones, or some other internal issues. No one drew any blood, nor did a urine test, nor even took my blood pressure. Nothing, even though I disclosed that I was a 75-year old diabetic, on medication. I was ushered out of the examination room after these few minutes. An hour later I was handed a lovely, four-colored binder print-out report of the services rendered by this medical operation; looked almost like an annual report from XYZ Corp. Funnily enough, they seemed to know my weight, bp and a couple of other things - not accurate, but a reasonable guess, since no such measuring was ever done. After signing for my several hundred $$ in credit card charges, and being handed two scripts for pills, I was discharged. Went to Publix and got ten days worth of meds for $480; one of those for highly addictive oxycontin!!!

Long story short, the pills did little. Nights were so unbearable I just never slept. I walked the streets outside our home for hours nightly. After 5 days, I bought a ticket and flew home to Canada. Within 5 hours after de-planing, I had been through emergency intake, been triaged, had blood tests, urine tests, a complete physical, as well as Cat Scan and X-rays. Yes, I did have shingles. My horrified doctor took away the oxycontin and prescribed something much better for shingles relief. As well, he gave me specific pills for back pain - the X-rays confirmed degenerative discs in 3 areas. The cat scan revealed no kidney stones and no other internal organ malfunction. The other routine tests confirmed that my diabetes was well under control. Shingles nerve pain I had, for sure, but also aggravating back issues. End result: I knew one heck of a lot more after Canadian health care than I ever did from Florida.

So, we all have horror stories we can tell. I'll happily rely on my Canadian health coverage. I will go to US and European health centers if needed, but I know from experience in several instances that the care I get in Canada is as good or better than elsewhere. I just wish folks would stop giving Canadian health care programs a bum rap when it's not deserved. We have great health centers here, and lots of fine, trained personnel. We could do with more. But to suggest that folks should be wary of visiting Canada, or not be able to get proper care while here, is just not true.

So, glad you're better. Happy to hear that you were, in fact, well served by competent care-givers. Delighted to know that you weren't ripped off with exorbitant charges. BTW, my prescription costs for my month's supply of Canadian meds was $8.22, for drugs which were far safer and more effective, as compared to $480 for ten days of what could have been very addictive and certainly were of little help. And, my check-up, in Canada, was ten times more thorough than the two-minute, fly-by chat with the FL physician - although his colorful print-out was amusing reading. The doctor at the Canadian emergency ward actually spent a good ten minutes going over his findings, after spending more than that examining me and requisitioning lab tests to begin with. Was I well-served by Canadian health care?; you bet. That's the real story, in spite of the political bs to the contrary, too much of which has been spread during US health care political debates and wars.

[Bob Denman]

The Shingles DO suck a little bit...
I just went through an extremely mild case: we kept it lathered-up with calamine lotion, and changed the bandages twice a day...
The evenings: A bunch of extra strength Tylenol ( WAY more than the suggested dosage ) kept everything bearable.

10 days later, and I was as good as I ever was!
Oh wait! That would mean that I still suck!

But healthcare coverage is pretty lousy: no matter where you are, and how you're covered!