Tens of thousands of Canadians died waiting for medical care in the past year: report

[Jedi Guy]

66. I'm not Canadian but I am an American living in Canada.

As others have pointed out, some of those folks who died very likely lived in remote areas that aren't well covered by healthcare resources. The northern provinces are especially vulnerable to this phenomenon since there are times of the year where the only way in or out is by air. There are plenty of remote places in the other provinces that suffer likewise.

That said, the wait times really are atrocious in some cases even when you're not trying to see a rare specialist. I have a referral to a dermatologist that's been pending for over a year now.

It's by no means a perfect system and not every criticism of it is by default propaganda. There are genuine issues that need to be resolved and it's not as simple as "well just hire more healthcare providers". The cost of an education in that field is horrific and once people have gotten those degrees it's more lucrative to leave and go work in the States, so we end up suffering a constant brain drain.

I'm happy that we have healthcare, though, warts (and high taxes) and all. It beats the hell out of going bankrupt because a single emergency medical bill is hideously expensive and out of reach of most folks.