When you get sick, what do you do? Are there certain procedures you should take before seeing a doctor in the U.S. or Canada? What's the differences between general practitioner, family doctor, normal doctor. I have even heard people say a 'regular doctor'. For a minor case like a cold or fever and for more serious ones like breaking bones or cancer or diabetes, how are you processed through the medical system?
I'm in Canada. I visit my doctor for annual checkups. It's a general practicioner, family doctor kind of thing. If I have a serious issue I get handed over to a specialist. If I need medicine from any of these appointments I get a prescription & must buy the medicine myself. I pay nothing for the visits to either type of doctor, nothing for any of the care I receive. I have no special insurance for this, it's something that we all have in Canada. Blue Cross is easily obtainable & pays for a large % of medications.
When my wife had our child she went through the same process... her OB/GYN doctor referred her to a doctor that would do the delivery. Again, this is paid for my our govt health insurance.
There are waiting lists for some procedures & that has been a criticism of our system. I have been blessed with very few medical needs but I have had less fortunate family members and none have suffered from these waits. None have also ever suffered from an inability to afford treatment. One of the things that people rarely talk about but should give more weight is amenable mortality. This is mortality from treatable causes, things that could have been fixed early & cheap if health services were readily available to all citizens. It's not important that a county has the best health care facilities in the world if only the wealthy can afford them.
Thanks, Sonia! :)
Richard, your insurance coverage is pretty amazing. I can't believe you need to pay for medicine only. One bad thing about your system seems to be a long waiting list.
Amy, I thought you were in Seoul attending language classes at Korea University. Now I realize you completed it online. 'Fire' is a harsh word. I wish you good luck with your plans and savings. :)
My pediatrician allows patients to go there until their 23rd birthdays. I'll graduate from college just before my 22nd birthday, and move to Korea hopefully within the next six months after graduating. I'm not living in Seoul yet, I'm still living with my parents in the US. I won't be able to move to Seoul until after I graduate from college, and I'll have some money saved by then. The reason I'm so broke is because I was working for my university, and due to some paperwork issues (which were my fault) they had to fire me, and they can't re-hire me until August. But after August I'll be working and saving money again. So hopefully, by the time I move to Seoul, I'll be able to afford it.
