# A question for the Canadians on this forum. Have you ever gone to the States for medical treatment ? Do you know any other Canadians who have done so.



## jimintoronto

I recently had to rebut a statement on here by a American who stated that "Many Canadians go to America for medical care " I told him that he was wrong. Now I would like to hear from you on this subject. Have you, or any of your family or friends travelled to the US for medical care ? Thanks. JimB.


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## Pepper

I have a lot of relatives in Canada, some with major health problems, and none, to my knowledge, has ever come to the States for treatment.  They have the money, so that's not an issue.


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## JimBob1952

The only reason to do so would be to obtain some sort of highly specialized treatment (e.g. for a rare tropical disease) not available in Canada.  And unless I'm mistaken Canadians would be covered for the cost of that.  

Organizations like the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic do make a lot of money from treating wealthy non-U.S. citizens, but that's because the quality of care in places like, say, Qatar, may not be as up to date as it is in the U.S. private sector.


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## jimintoronto

JimBob1952 said:


> The only reason to do so would be to obtain some sort of highly specialized treatment (e.g. for a rare tropical disease) not available in Canada.  And unless I'm mistaken Canadians would be covered for the cost of that.
> 
> Organizations like the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic do make a lot of money from treating wealthy non-U.S. citizens, but that's because the quality of care in places like, say, Qatar, may not be as up to date as it is in the U.S. private sector.


Here is a link about an American who went to India for a cardiac operation that would have cost him  over $100,000 in the USA, but only $10,000 in India, and that included his air flights. Link. India’s Hospitals Are Filling Up With Desperate Americans – Foreign Policy   I put this here to point out that the high costs of medical procedures in the USA is driving some Americans to other parts of the world for treatment, and to rebut the lies that some Americans spread about "Canadians going to the US for medical care ". JimB.


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## JimBob1952

The guy cited in the article didn't have health insurance (in 2008). 

I'm on Medicare now.  When I was 55, I had open heart surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC.  My surgeon had operated on Bill Clinton, so I figured he was pretty good.  I had good (company) insurance.  

My out of pocket cost was about $200.  We spent almost as much on parking.  

Theoretically, everybody is now insured due to Obamacare.  I'm sure some people still slip through the net.  

My point is, not everybody in the US is flying off to India for kidney transplants or whatever.  The standard of care is high.  We just need better coverage and payment mechanisms.  Why we don't just copy the Swiss, German or Dutch models is beyond me.


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## Murrmurr

jimintoronto said:


> Here is a link about an American who went to India for a cardiac operation that would have cost him  over $100,000 in the USA, but only $10,000 in India, and that included his air flights. Link. India’s Hospitals Are Filling Up With Desperate Americans – Foreign Policy   I put this here to point out that the high costs of medical procedures in the USA is driving some Americans to other parts of the world for treatment, and to rebut the lies that some Americans spread about "Canadians going to the US for medical care ". JimB.


American media spread that "lie", not Americans. But it's true that back in the 80s and 90s, several Canadians did indeed come to the US for specialized treatment not yet available in Canada. Once the equipment for the treatment was shipped to Canada, they didn't have to come here for it.

I don't remember what the treatment was for, but I don't think it was cancer. I could be wrong but I think it was the machine that circulates your blood outside your heart and lungs during a transplant. That machine was actually invented by a German, but perfected in the US. Again, I could be wrong but that's what's coming to mind right now. Something to do with blood circulation is what I remember. So maybe it _was_ cancer treatment...IV chemotherapy?

When I was a young man, I had a co-worker who immigrated from the Middle-East and used to go back annually to get dental work for something like $10.


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## Jeni

I have seen it .... live in an area that is close to part of border and at hospitals and clinics here seen many a license plate from Canada.

I also have known some Canadians ....... not looking for specialized care .......but care in a more timely manner then they would have waited...

It has been extorted by media and whatever narrative that tries to cite it .... I know if  I had to park in other parking while going in for test because majority of cars in that parking lot were from Canada ......  ever been asked to reschedule because "you live here ... this person traveled to see doctor" ... I have been asked that ...

Canada and the US are both very large countries .........I do not think anyone can speak for what happens in whole country ...... 
so if someone from Ontario for example has not noticed any person they personally know travel for care fine...
My question is .........do you speak for Alberta and British Columbia   as well....   ?


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## Packerjohn

I'm a Canuck and I have never gone to the USA for medical treatments of any kind.  Do I know of anyone who has gone?  NO!  I read about some people going to North Dakota for some sort of treatment during the "good ole' Covid days" but that was in the media.  Of course, the media does no end of complaining around here.  Why would anyone go to the USA unless they were rich or desperate.  We get "free" medical coverage paid out of our taxes.  Yes, we were and still are back-logged with many medical procedures but that was caused by the government and it is a rather very long story.

 Anyway, "the longest free border in the world in the world" wasn't so free for a long time.  It was closed except for truckers.  It made the Polish-Russian border seem like a "piece of cake" to cross.  We had a 2 class system here.  The peasants were forbidden to cross the border, so they were forced to stay home.  The rich could transport their mobile homes on the back of low bed trucks across the border and then they would fly to the nearest point in the USA to pick up their mobile homes and then head for Texas or Arizona.  Just gotta love that 2 class system!


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## Jules

All I’m saying is before pre-Covid restrictions.

Speaking for BC, there have been people, especially children with unique situations who have been sent to the US and their bills were covered by our medical system.  Some small border towns used to send people to the US if the financial costs warranted it.  Often the American doctors set up offices to cater to them.

It worked both ways.  There are border towns that specialized in services for Americans.  Even paying for hospitalization services in Canada was less expensive than doing it in the US.  Plastic surgeons took advantage of this.  Some offices specialize in writing prescriptions so the Americans can get our cheaper drugs.  They would have bus tours here.

Unless one is very rich it is too risky for the average person to go to the US for a medical procedure.  If one went for a private procedure and was in a car accident while there, their medical travel insurance would be negated.  It’s a tricky situation.

Canadians who winter in the southern US states love to go to Mexico for dental services.  Much less expensive and quality service.  Some will take a vacation to Mexico just for dental care.

Editing. I personally don’t know anyone going to the US for faster service.


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## helenbacque

JimBob1952 said:


> The guy cited in the article didn't have health insurance (in 2008).
> 
> I'm on Medicare now.  When I was 55, I had open heart surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC.  My surgeon had operated on Bill Clinton, so I figured he was pretty good.  I had good (company) insurance.
> 
> My out of pocket cost was about $200.  We spent almost as much on parking.
> 
> Theoretically, *everybody is now insured due to Obamacare*.  I'm sure some people still slip through the net.
> 
> My point is, not everybody in the US is flying off to India for kidney transplants or whatever.  The standard of care is high.  We just need better coverage and payment mechanisms.  Why we don't just copy the Swiss, German or Dutch models is beyond me.


The ACA (Obamacare) _*cannot*_ be compared to any form of universal health care such as exists in all other advanced/developed countries in the world and even many who are not well developed*.  It is a political band-aid that leads to financial ruin when a family is hit with serious illness.  History will look back on this period of no universal health care in the U.S. as shameful beyond belief.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...ith universal healthcare include,Ukraine, and


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## OneEyedDiva

I never have and don't need to but I used to hear about people getting their medications from Canada because they were cheaper.


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## Timetrvlr

No!


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## jimintoronto

OneEyedDiva said:


> I never have and don't need to but I used to hear about people getting their medications from Canada because they were cheaper.


That is correct. Canada has a national prescription drug pricing law. The same drug costs the same amount right across the country. Obviously that lower price is attractive to Americans. Some Americans who live within a few hours drive of the Canadian border come here to have a Canadian Doctor write a script for them and then they go to a Canadian pharmacy and get it filled. The cost in Canada is usually 50 to 80 percent less than the cost in the USA. Other Americans use internet based Canadian pharmacy services, which will accept a US Doctor's written script, fill the order, accept payment by credit card ( in Canadian dollars ) and ship the order to the American customer by UPS or FedEx courier delivery to the American customer's home. JimB.


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## AnnieA

OneEyedDiva said:


> I never have and don't need to but I used to hear about people getting their medications from Canada because they were cheaper.



From what I've read, that's sketchy these days since scammers have set up online pharmacies with Canadian urls and names but aren't actually based in Canada.


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## jimintoronto

AnnieA said:


> From what I've read, that's sketchy these days since scammers have set up online pharmacies with Canadian urls and names but aren't actually based in Canada.


Here is a website from the Government of Canada that lists ACTUAL Canadian online pharmacies. Link. Choosing a safe online pharmacy - Canada.ca  What better source than the Government of Canada ? JimB.


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## Dapper Dan

I am Canadian and I have never sought medical treatment in the United States. I doubt I would ever need to do so. I have heard that many Americans however have purchased medications through pharmacies here in Canada.


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## JustDave

jimintoronto said:


> I recently had to rebut a statement on here by a American who stated that "Many Canadians go to America for medical care " I told him that he was wrong. Now I would like to hear from you on this subject. Have you, or any of your family or friends travelled to the US for medical care ? Thanks. JimB.


Here in the states this is one of those bumper sticker statements based on an outright lie, albeit a popular lie, used by those who politically oppose universal health care.  My cousin was one of them, and he used to say that to defeat any argument for improving our American health care system, which is by Western standards a corporate oligarch's dream foisted on the middle class:  "If our system is so bad why do all he Canadians come to the US to get health care."  And that is just one lie of many.   It's a hard one to argue against because the misinformation is so abundant, it has become a truth even without any evidence to actually support it.

By the way, I purchase all of my medications from a pharmacy in Manitoba.  What I save would pay for the additional prescription insurance costs from US Medicare many times over.  My relatives are always sending me information about discounts and coupons to buy cheaper medications right here in the US, but they aren't even in the ballpark of what I save by getting them in Canada.  And of course there is now a bill before congress to prevent US Citizens from buying meds from Canada.


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## GoneFishin

No


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## Andrew416

I haven’t, nor do I know anyone that has.
But as a previous poster alluded to, I have heard of some Canadians going to the US for non life threatening issues, say knee surgery, as the waiting lists can sometimes be long here (Ontario).
Closer to home, my wife’s aunt had to wait several months for her knee replacements. My brother had blood clots in his leg a few months ago and received vascular surgery right away, thus saving his leg. My aunt survived stage four lung cancer ten years ago and is still hanging around in her 80s.
Just anecdotal obviously.


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## mrstime

No, and I don't know anyone who has. I suppose some folks in other provinces might do so if they have long waits for life threatening problems, but I have never heard of anyone here in BC doing so. Any time I have had a life threatening problem there was no wait at all. I am alive because of no waits.


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## Don M.

Most developed nations have some form of Universal Health Care.  Here, in the U.S., we have a Health Care Industry....and the primary purpose of Any industry is to make money.


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## Lethe200

Seconding what Don M said. My in-laws live in Canada, and they find it appalling not only what Americans spend on healthcare, but how so many have NO health coverage at all, leading to more severe illnesses/disabilities because of lack of preventive care. And also the inadequacy of our social services safety net, which contributes to the US's very poor standings in average lifespan. We are ranked so far down we are in company with Third World countries, in fact.

We have over 200 relatives in my spouse's extended family. Not one has ever set foot in the US for healthcare. 

Another separate issue: because most hospitals are for-profit chains, they are closing unprofitable hospitals and associated clinics in rural areas and smaller cities, at a rapid rate. Seniors should not assume that moving to a LCOL area will benefit them, because if it takes you hours to get to emergency or access a specialist, that may end up offsetting a low rent or modest property taxes.


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## jimintoronto

Lethe200 said:


> Seconding what Don M said. My in-laws live in Canada, and they find it appalling not only what Americans spend on healthcare, but how so many have NO health coverage at all, leading to more severe illnesses/disabilities because of lack of preventive care. And also the inadequacy of our social services safety net, which contributes to the US's very poor standings in average lifespan. We are ranked so far down we are in company with Third World countries, in fact.
> 
> We have over 200 relatives in my spouse's extended family. Not one has ever set foot in the US for healthcare.
> 
> Another separate issue: because most hospitals are for-profit chains, they are closing unprofitable hospitals and associated clinics in rural areas and smaller cities, at a rapid rate. Seniors should not assume that moving to a LCOL area will benefit them, because if it takes you hours to get to emergency or access a specialist, that may end up offsetting a low rent or modest property taxes.


Well said. One of the most basic things that Canadians DO NOT worry about is....Medical bankruptcy. Across Lake Ontario in New York state, fully 50 percent of all personal bankruptcies are because of medical debt. Canadians don't have that worry. Yes we pay SLIGHTLY higher taxes to support the Provincial health care services, but they are there for everyone to use, regardless of income status. It is a universal system where every one is covered, with no exceptions. If you are a Canadian citizen or a legal immigrant....You are covered. There are no "previous conditions " no "out of network " no co pays, no arguing with a private insurance company about billing . Medical decisions are strictly between me and my Doctor. I can see ANY Doctor that I want, in any part of the Province I live in, at any time I choose. If I am in another part of our vast country, and I am sick or injured, I will receive medical care immediately, with no questions about my ability to pay for it. My Ontario Hospital Insurance Card ( OHIP ) will be accepted and the Hospital will submit a bill to OHIP electronically , which will be paid in 30 days. Is our system perfect ? No it is not, BUT it is miles ahead of what 34 million Americans have, which is no medical insurance at all. Being poor and sick in the USA is sometimes a death sentence, unfortunately. JimB.


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## JimBob1952

I think we have established that the Canadian health care system, as is true of most if not all developed countries, is more comprehensive and cost-efficient than that of the US.  

The employer-paid US system works well enough (at high cost) for those with good jobs, for those over 66 on Medicare, and for the actual poor on Medicaid.  It doesn't work very well at all for the 10 percent or so of those who can't or won't get coverage for whatever reason. 

Of course the problem is that we don't have a "system" at all, just a weird patchwork that sprung up during WWII when companies weren't allowed to raise wages.   The sensible thing to do would be to start over and just copy the Dutch, German, or Swiss models.  There are too many forces at work for that to ever happen, so we'll keep muddling along until the whole thing falls apart.


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## Happy Heart

jimintoronto said:


> That is correct. Canada has a national prescription drug pricing law. The same drug costs the same amount right across the country. Obviously that lower price is attractive to Americans. Some Americans who live within a few hours drive of the Canadian border come here to have a Canadian Doctor write a script for them and then they go to a Canadian pharmacy and get it filled. The cost in Canada is usually 50 to 80 percent less than the cost in the USA. Other Americans use internet based Canadian pharmacy services, which will accept a US Doctor's written script, fill the order, accept payment by credit card ( in Canadian dollars ) and ship the order to the American customer by UPS or FedEx courier delivery to the American customer's home. JimB.


So thankful I was able to buy my drugs online from Canada since it saved us thousands.  Hopefully, the U.S. will stop allowing big pharma to rob decent Americans of their retirement savings.


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## JustDave

Happy Heart said:


> So thankful I was able to buy my drugs online from Canada since it saved us thousands.  Hopefully, the U.S. will stop allowing big pharma to rob decent Americans of their retirement savings.


The medications I buy online from Canada are 10% of the cost of those in the US.  Not a 10% discount, but 10% of!  My blood thinner cost $375 a month in the US.  From Canada, it's $40.  I buy two other drugs that reflect that same price difference.  There is one drug I still buy in the US. It's for blood pressure and it's cheap, so the price difference is not significant.  The one draw back in getting drugs on line from Canada is that you have to plan ahead, because it takes a long time for the medications to clear customs, so you need to be thinking about a month and a half ahead.

Some leaders in Congress are trying to stop US citizens from buying drugs in Canada.  They are using the Opioid crisis to justify it, but it's really just a bill written by US drug companies to increase their already shameful price gouging profits.


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## Lee

Canada worries about a shortage of drugs so bans some exports.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/canad...on-drugs-as-u-s-readies-for-imports-1.5209209


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## jimintoronto

Lee said:


> Canada worries about a shortage of drugs so bans some exports.
> 
> https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/canad...on-drugs-as-u-s-readies-for-imports-1.5209209


That article is a year and a half old. JimB.


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## Em in Ohio

Lethe200 said:


> Seconding what Don M said. My in-laws live in Canada, and they find it appalling not only what Americans spend on healthcare, but how so many have NO health coverage at all, leading to more severe illnesses/disabilities because of lack of preventive care. And also the inadequacy of our social services safety net, which contributes to the US's very poor standings in average lifespan. We are ranked so far down we are in company with Third World countries, in fact.
> 
> We have over 200 relatives in my spouse's extended family. Not one has ever set foot in the US for healthcare.
> 
> Another separate issue: because most hospitals are for-profit chains, they are closing unprofitable hospitals and associated clinics in rural areas and smaller cities, at a rapid rate. Seniors should not assume that moving to a LCOL area will benefit them, because if it takes you hours to get to emergency or access a specialist, that may end up offsetting a low rent or modest property taxes.


HCOL vs LCOL Areas: Everything You Need To Know​


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## JustDave

Lee said:


> Canada worries about a shortage of drugs so bans some exports.
> 
> https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/canad...on-drugs-as-u-s-readies-for-imports-1.5209209


You need to take care of your own.  I can appreciate that.


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## Happy Heart

JustDave said:


> The medications I buy online from Canada are 10% of the cost of those in the US.  Not a 10% discount, but 10% of!  My blood thinner cost $375 a month in the US.  From Canada, it's $40.  I buy two other drugs that reflect that same price difference.  There is one drug I still buy in the US. It's for blood pressure and it's cheap, so the price difference is not significant.  The one draw back in getting drugs on line from Canada is that you have to plan ahead, because it takes a long time for the medications to clear customs, so you need to be thinking about a month and a half ahead.
> 
> Some leaders in Congress are trying to stop US citizens from buying drugs in Canada.  They are using the Opioid crisis to justify it, but it's really just a bill written by US drug companies to increase their already shameful price gouging profits.


Thanks I didn't realize blood thinnner meds were so expensive but I expect to eventually be on them. Are they not covered by Medicare? The inhalers I bought through Northwest Pharmacy shipped directly from overseas so they were not actually ever in Canada.  I'm sure it seems that Americans are taking drugs off the pharmacy shelves but it doesn't work that way. Yes, it takes a long time to receive the medication because it is coming from UK and other places which means U.S. Customs is involved.

See below to see wants to support Big Pharma.


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## Happy Heart

JustDave said:


> The medications I buy online from Canada are 10% of the cost of those in the US.  Not a 10% discount, but 10% of!  My blood thinner cost $375 a month in the US.  From Canada, it's $40.  I buy two other drugs that reflect that same price difference.  There is one drug I still buy in the US. It's for blood pressure and it's cheap, so the price difference is not significant.  The one draw back in getting drugs on line from Canada is that you have to plan ahead, because it takes a long time for the medications to clear customs, so you need to be thinking about a month and a half ahead.
> 
> Some leaders in Congress are trying to stop US citizens from buying drugs in Canada.  They are using the Opioid crisis to justify it, but it's really just a bill written by US drug companies to increase their already shameful price gouging profits.


https://www.northwestpharmacy.com/



*Big Pharma’s dystopian DRUGS Act is designed to eliminate your access to affordable drugs from licensed Canadian and international pharmacies, including NorthWestPharmacy.com.* We recently reported the good news that Senator Amy Klobuchar, a former co-sponsor of the legislation, has withdrawn her support for this bill but thereafter the bill gained some new Senate and Congressional supporters to Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) original sponsorship -- Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) as well as Congressional representatives Angie Craig (D-MN) and Derek Soto (D-FL), so the fight against this terrible bill is not over.
Here is a current list of _Drugs Act_ supporters who are running in the upcoming midterms:

Marco Rubio (Senate R-FL)
Darren Soto (Congress D-FL)
Angie Craig (Congress D-MN)
Josh Gottheimer (Congress D-NJ)
Diana DeGette (Congress D-CO)


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## jimintoronto

I am going to repost a link that is from the Canadian Federal Government about how to find SAFE Canadian based pharmacies on line. What better source for Americans who want to save money on their medical prescription drugs than the Canadian Government ? Link. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-can...oducts-safely/safe-use-online-pharmacies.html    JimB.


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## Happy Heart

jimintoronto said:


> I am going to repost a link that is from the Canadian Federal Government about how to find SAFE Canadian based pharmacies on line. What better source for Americans who want to save money on their medical prescription drugs than the Canadian Government ? Link. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-can...oducts-safely/safe-use-online-pharmacies.html    JimB.


That is how we found NWPharmacy.  Our doctor used to fax the prescription to Cananda  but now they give it to us to fax.  What can I say?


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## morgan

Haven't gone over deliberately to the US for medical treatment, however I've had treatment while on a visit once.


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## jimintoronto

Happy Heart said:


> That is how we found NWPharmacy.  Our doctor used to fax the prescription to Cananda  but now they give it to us to fax.  What can I say?


Happy Heart. Are you satisfied with the service from NW Pharmacy, and their prices ? From your comment's last line I was unsure if you were satisfied or making a complaint ? JimB.


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## JustDave

There's lots of Canadian pharmacies, and they are not all the same.  Prices and service can very.  I tried about three of them and now do business with only one in Winnipeg. I would describe their service as impressive, and prices when I first found them were consistently the lowest.


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## Lethe200

Medications costs are one of the reasons we chose the Kaiser HMO over PPO plans. Kaiser runs its own hospitals and pharmacies. Generic prescriptives are $10/3 mo. supply. Branded prescriptives, i.e., still under patent, are full mfg price, however. 

Fortunately all our prescriptions so far have been generic and effective.


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## Happy Heart

jimintoronto said:


> Happy Heart. Are you satisfied with the service from NW Pharmacy, and their prices ? From your comment's last line I was unsure if you were satisfied or making a complaint ? JimB.


Yes, we are happy with them but the problem is you need to plan since the drugs don't ship from Canada but mine came from UK or Turkey manufactures. Customs  slow down delivery but I understand they must be suspicious of everything and I support that.  They were the same product sold here for many times the price.


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## Happy Heart

Lethe200 said:


> Medications costs are one of the reasons we chose the Kaiser HMO over PPO plans. Kaiser runs its own hospitals and pharmacies. Generic prescriptives are $10/3 mo. supply. Branded prescriptives, i.e., still under patent, are full mfg price, however.
> 
> Fortunately all our prescriptions so far have been generic and effective.


We got rid of Kaiser because they would give us a handful of prescriptions each visit.  Once we moved on, our new doctors said they weren't needed and we are doing fine without them.  We also found out that Kaiser doctors' bonus are based on how many prescriptions they write, but they claim the doctors have no relationship with drug manufactures.  It wasn't until new problems started that we needed to find Canadian drugs and appreciate Canada for it!


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## Happy Heart

JustDave said:


> There's lots of Canadian pharmacies, and they are not all the same.  Prices and service can very.  I tried about three of them and now do business with only one in Winnipeg. I would describe their service as impressive, and prices when I first found them were consistently the lowest.


Can you share the name?  We may soon need blood thinners so I want to keep a list of resources handy.  Fortunately, I no longer need the original prescription but the sands in hour glass keep moving.


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## JustDave

Happy Heart said:


> Can you share the name?  We may soon need blood thinners so I want to keep a list of resources handy.  Fortunately, I no longer need the original prescription but the sands in hour glass keep moving.


It's PharmStore.com 
https://www.pharmstore.com/

It's in Winnipeg, and it may be the only one in that Province.  Most seem to be in British Columbia.  For what it's worth, I am on the blood thinner, Xarelto, for blood clots that got into my lungs several years ago.  They are gone now, but my Dr. wants me on the thinner.

The price in the United States last I checked was $370/month. 
The PharmStore sells them in 90 day supplies at $21/month

Yes, you read that right.  This is not a joke. 

But not all drugs are so drastically different.  I still buy Verapamil for blood pressure locally.  It's not an expensive one. 

Plan ahead.  It takes a long time to get a prescription through to Canada by mail, and it can take three weeks to get the meds in your mailbox once they get the prescription and clear Customs.  It's worth it though.  I save over $4000 a year on that one drug.  I save about the same on a steroid inhaler I use for asthma.

You can compare drug prices between Canadian outlets using the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) website.

https://www.cipa.com/cipa-safe-pharmacies

But I'm so happy with PharmStore that I actually had to look up the name of this resource.  I haven't used the CIPA website in years.  Service and prices can vary greatly from one pharmacy to another and one screwed up and charged me twice for an order and never even responded to my complaint. I have never had a problem or complaint with PharmStore.


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## ElCastor

jimintoronto said:


> I recently had to rebut a statement on here by a American who stated that "Many Canadians go to America for medical care " I told him that he was wrong. Now I would like to hear from you on this subject. Have you, or any of your family or friends travelled to the US for medical care ? Thanks. JimB.


I can‘t answer that, but as you probably know the Fraser Institute tracks wait times for care in Canada, and the numbers are not good…
“Waiting for treatment has become a defining characteristic of Canadian health care. In order to document the queues for visits to specialists and for diagnostic and surgical procedures in the country, the Fraser Institute has—for almost three decades—surveyed specialist physicians across 12 specialties and 10 provinces.”
“This edition of Waiting Your Turn indicates that, overall, waiting times for medically necessary treatment have increased since last year. Specialist physicians surveyed report a median waiting time of 25.6 weeks between referral from a general practitioner and receipt of treatment—longer than the wait of 22.6 weeks reported in 2020. This year’s wait time is the longest wait time recorded in this survey’s history and is 175% longer than in 1993, when it was just 9.3 weeks.”
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/waiting-your-turn-wait-times-for-health-care-in-canada-2021

BTW - in my case, with a well known provider in California, a typical wait would range from “down the hall” to 2 or 3 days.


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## MrPants

I don't know anyone who has sought out care in the US personally but yes, I have heard of it and it's almost always people with lots of money who want to jump the line in Canada or those that want to take advantage of some experimental treatments not available in Canada so yes, it does happen but it's not that common.

What will happen going forward is unsure because all healthcare systems seem to be overloaded & understaffed lately so it may at some point boil down to who's got the most $$ to get the best & fastest treatment?


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## JustDave

Happy Heart said:


> Thanks I didn't realize blood thinnner meds were so expensive but I expect to eventually be on them. Are they not covered by Medicare? The inhalers I bought through Northwest Pharmacy shipped directly from overseas so they were not actually ever in Canada.  I'm sure it seems that Americans are taking drugs off the pharmacy shelves but it doesn't work that way. Yes, it takes a long time to receive the medication because it is coming from UK and other places which means U.S. Customs is involved.
> 
> See below to see wants to support Big Pharma.


Sorry, I missed this question about Medicare.  "Covered my Medicare" is not the whole story or solution.  There are co pays, so you are going to pay something.  What I do is factor in the yearly costs of Medicare drug coverage insurance and the co-pays.  That's how much I would spend.  I spend far less than I would if I had Medicare drug coverage.  And Medicare won't pay for Canadian drugs.  I save thousands.

Yes, some of them are drop shipped from other countries.  My thinner comes from Turkey.  It's made by Bayer.  I suspect it may be where American Xarelto comes from.  Drugs manufactured in Canada are usually more, but not as much as US.  Two of my prescriptions come from Canada.


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## ElCastor

This may already have been covered, but just in case ...
"Why Canadian premier seeks health care in U.S.
Danny Williams, the premier of the Canadian province of Newfoundland, traveled to the United States earlier this month to undergo heart valve surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami. With his trip, Williams joined a long list of Canadians who have decided that they prefer American medicine to their own country's government-run health system when their lives are on the line."
https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/open...-premier-seeks-health-care-in-U-S-3198150.php

"63,000 Canadians left the country for medical treatment last year: Fraser Institute"
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/63-00...reatment-last-year-fraser-institute-1.3486635

Another thing about government supplied medical care, although not in this case Canada. A Usenet forum that I posted to for years got an Australian participant for a few months. He had a lot to say about their system. What irked him the most was the fact that it was an all or nothing deal. He wanted to be allowed to supplement aspects of their care out of his own pocket, but supplementation was not allowed.

Anyhow, I believe the US needs to be very careful before stepping into that morass. From what I have read, France may have a fairly successful system. One advantage is their employment of "The English Rule". The Rule provides that the loser in a lawsuit pays the winner's attorneys fees. Legal costs are a significant portion of the cost of our healthcare system. The English Rule is a great incentive to think twice before initiating a lawsuit.


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## Jules

That was 2010 when Danny Williams had the heart surgery.  As he said that fortunately was discovered by his doctors and they recommended that he go out of country because it couldn’t be done in Canada, at that time.  He’s very rich and already owned property in Florida so it made sense.  

As for the Fraser Institute, they’re a right-wing think tank.  


> Jeremy Snyder, a professor at Simon Fraser University's faculty of health sciences, said the Fraser Institute is sending a strong message that Canada has a big medical tourism problem due to massive wait times at home, which is not true.
> 
> "While we do know that a lot of Canadians are going abroad for care, the numbers the Fraser Institute is producing in this report aren't really accurate," Snyder told CTV News. "I don't think there's a really strong backing for them."



I’m not denying that we have a shortage of medical professionals after 2+ long years.  
I also know a couple of people in the US who had long waits for their surgeries. 
It can happen in many places.


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## ElCastor

Jules said:


> That was 2010 when Danny Williams had the heart surgery.  As he said that fortunately was discovered by his doctors and they recommended that he go out of country because it couldn’t be done in Canada, at that time.  He’s very rich and already owned property in Florida so it made sense.
> 
> As for the Fraser Institute, they’re a right-wing think tank.
> 
> 
> I’m not denying that we have a shortage of medical professionals after 2+ long years.
> I also know a couple of people in the US who had long waits for their surgeries.
> It can happen in many places.


So, if Fraser is not being truthful, give us the real numbers.


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## Butterfly

Jules said:


> All I’m saying is before pre-Covid restrictions.
> 
> Speaking for BC, there have been people, especially children with unique situations who have been sent to the US and their bills were covered by our medical system.  Some small border towns used to send people to the US if the financial costs warranted it.  Often the American doctors set up offices to cater to them.
> 
> It worked both ways.  There are border towns that specialized in services for Americans.  Even paying for hospitalization services in Canada was less expensive than doing it in the US.  Plastic surgeons took advantage of this.  Some offices specialize in writing prescriptions so the Americans can get our cheaper drugs.  They would have bus tours here.
> 
> Unless one is very rich it is too risky for the average person to go to the US for a medical procedure.  If one went for a private procedure and was in a car accident while there, their medical travel insurance would be negated.  It’s a tricky situation.
> 
> Canadians who winter in the southern US states love to go to Mexico for dental services.  Much less expensive and quality service.  Some will take a vacation to Mexico just for dental care.
> 
> Editing. I personally don’t know anyone going to the US for faster service.


People go to Mexico for dental care from here, too.  I never have.


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## tinytn

When i lived in Augusta , Maine, i worked at the Comfort Inn, one time we had a bus load of women who came from Canada to get Breast Cancer treatments at our hospital .. One lady told me that Canada was overflowing with breast cancer patients at that time and they did not have enough facilities ...so our hospital Invited them to come to  Augusta, at no cost to those patients ! i  imagine these were women who could not afford the treatments in Canada,,


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## Happy Heart

JustDave said:


> It's PharmStore.com
> https://www.pharmstore.com/
> 
> It's in Winnipeg, and it may be the only one in that Province.  Most seem to be in British Columbia.  For what it's worth, I am on the blood thinner, Xarelto, for blood clots that got into my lungs several years ago.  They are gone now, but my Dr. wants me on the thinner.
> 
> The price in the United States last I checked was $370/month.
> The PharmStore sells them in 90 day supplies at $21/month
> 
> Yes, you read that right.  This is not a joke.
> 
> But not all drugs are so drastically different.  I still buy Verapamil for blood pressure locally.  It's not an expensive one.
> 
> Plan ahead.  It takes a long time to get a prescription through to Canada by mail, and it can take three weeks to get the meds in your mailbox once they get the prescription and clear Customs.  It's worth it though.  I save over $4000 a year on that one drug.  I save about the same on a steroid inhaler I use for asthma.
> 
> You can compare drug prices between Canadian outlets using the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) website.
> 
> https://www.cipa.com/cipa-safe-pharmacies
> 
> But I'm so happy with PharmStore that I actually had to look up the name of this resource.  I haven't used the CIPA website in years.  Service and prices can vary greatly from one pharmacy to another and one screwed up and charged me twice for an order and never even responded to my complaint. I have never had a problem or complaint with PharmStore.


After two years I am off my steroid inhaler and glad to be done with that -  nasty stuff.  We saved well over a thousand dollars a month by going through Canada but it should not have to be that way.  Our entire system is a mess and innocent people are caught up in it.  Thanks for sharing your experience.


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