Upcoming surgery

[Landdownunder]

They've found a arthritic spur on my I think vertebrae having a MRI this week to confirm exact extent but spur is jabbing into nerve hence sudden jolts of back pain, comes and goes can have two weeks zero issue then 3 or 4 days barely walk.

First time im out of pocket for surgery with private health tad over $4000.
But went to surgeon on 7th nov surgery booked 9th dec 3 days in hospital possibly 4 depends on spinal tap and if its good. Return to work light duties 14 days after surgery.

Private hospital with all the trimmings. Scary thing I asked well I might go via public hospital route to save some spondoolee in and out in 2 days, surgeon said I do some public health surgeries but mostly for children, if you had to wait for me in public just shy of 3 years quite the waiting list he said.

So not going public option.

[Landdownunder]

Tis expensive though at moment I pay $630 a month for Corporate package with gold hospital, and discussed with health insurance provider about going to cheaper package "you are mad if you change this they dont make policies like this anymore haven't done for years" ps ive been on it since I was 25 of course wasnt that expensive back then but was a rolls Royce package.

4 free dental visits which I use for clean/plague grinding free Physio, 4 free ambulance touch wood aint used yet never will I free pair of glasses every two years often around $700/800 plus a myriad of other stuff.

Surgery mentioned above $45k without hospital stay and anthethatist.

Joys of old age and hard living in my youth, was a wee bit devilish

[shtferbrains]

Does it give you any medical travel insurance.
Big problem here.

[Landdownunder]

Does it give you any medical travel insurance.
Big problem here.

No but when I travel I get travel insurance from same company hidden benefits, loyalty benefits. I reckon if ya can afford private get it and take pressure of public health it's a divisive issue here.
Immigration is putting huge strain on it we had record immigration last 2 months even the die hards on left questioning it soulndnt be open slather. Could be wrong but 360,000 rings a bell somehow maybe last quarter.

We welcome everyone no problem but out infrastructure cant cope.
Got my Canadian "daughter" here later in week from Dawson creek. Stayed for 9 months 14 years ago.

[chuckChuck]

No doubt the aging baby boomers like Downunder are putting a large strain on healthcare in Australia just as they are in Canada.

The number of working people to seniors is shrinking. Birth rates are low. And bringing in immigrants is a way to reduce the aging of the population and provide younger workers and more tax payers.

An ageing population has had a profound negative impact on public healthcare budgets.

Provinces have not prepared for this surge in seniors and healthcare is underfunded. As a result some premiers want private for profit healthcare clinics to take up the slack.

But that only drains scarce resources from public healthcare and results in a 2 tier system that favours those with more money.

I have asked many times where is the profit to be found in providing good quality healthcare to everyone?

Tinkering with private healthcare does not solve the fundamental problem of an ageing population that requires more healthcare funding.

[agstar77]

While private Healthcare seems enticing, it is a failing system in the U.S. with the gutting of Medicare in the U.S. , private Healthcare will become so expensive that large numbers will drop coverage. The result will be a destruction of emergency care, since that will be the only option for those that have no insurance. The only way out is to improve our existing universal Healthcare.

[Old Cowzilla]

Ex brother-in-law had same problem but waited to long to see Doc and spent 3 months in hospital and now is getting around on crutches. Sold his cows and ******* its hard to get into tractors now. The sooner you can get it fixed the better farming does not get easier as the years fly by. Used to be the only time i would see a Doc was from Flying steel or flying cows now have old age shit to deal with . Good luck with operation.

[chuckChuck]

Old age sucks whenever thing wears out.

Lifestyle and diet when you are younger comes home to roost when you get older!

And sometimes its just bad luck and normal ageing!

[chuckChuck]

Alberta the richest province per capita by far with a younger population and they can't even fund healthcare well enough.

Gotta keep taxes and royalties really low or the oil companies will move somewhere else! LOL

Norway are the true real fiscal conservative mangers and good negotiators who stood up and said the public comes first!

1.8 Trillion in a sovereign wealth fund saved for taxpayers.


"How sparsely populated Norway amassed $1.8 trillion

By Heidi Taksdal Skjeseth ([url]https://fortune.com/author/heidi-taksdal-skjeseth/[/url])

With $1.8 trillion of assets, the fund now generates far more income for the Nordic country’s 5.6 million population than oil and gas production. There are growing concerns that the economy has become so dependent on the income from the fund that domestic industries are becoming less innovative and dynamic as a result."



Alberta public health system losing staff, funding, spending on private facilities

Nov 15, 2025, 07:18

Alberta public health system losing staff, funding as province increases spending on private facilities

Alanna Smith
[url]https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-alberta-public-health-system-losing-staff-funding-as-province/[/url]

Alberta expands use of private surgical centres in bid to shorten procedure wait-lists
Matthew Scace

[url]https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-alberta-private-surgical-centres-danielle-smith-wait-lists/[/url]

[blackpowder]

I'm still confused how blended systems seem to work in other countries and yet here, they won't because we'll turn into the US.
Health care a mess here for various reasons and our decision process is frozen. Screaming "in the US!" encourages that.
Land just told you how his works and some will deny it can.
Position entrenchment has killed the conversation.