Want to know more about Canada...

Want to know more about Canada...

So I was talkin to some Canadian Hockey players the other week...
He tells me that the health insurance is paid quarterly at about $250.
Is it REALLY that cheap? Full health insurance?

Thanks

Yes, it's really really cheap in Canada! I believe that we have the best health insurance system in the world.
You don't even need to pay if you have low income.

Well we have public health care, so basically anyone that needs anything can go to the hospital and be taken care of, at the cost of the tax payers. Need an organ transplant? no problem, just get on the list (sometimes the waiting time is insane) and the government pays for you.

Oh yes, and we live in igloos, and have riced-out dog sleds.

oh yeah, and dont forget that you guys escort terriost too

I KNEW IT!!!!

oh yes, and it's uphill, both ways to ANYWHERE, in the ditch, always -40C, shoes are illegal. Hence the dogsleds.

oh, i heard sometimes its night all day, is that true? lol

actually, yes. around and above the arctic circle (in Nunavut and the northern islands) it is night for 6 months, then day for 6 months. no joke

whoa, werd.....i cant live like that, how do they adapt to it!? lol

No idea. same thing in iceland. when my sis was there last summer, it was daylight the whole time. she didnt get used to it at all.

werd...i cant live like that.

i rather stay here than move anywhere :usa:

Am....kinda. I'm canadian born in toronto, but I wouldn't say its the best. To make up for the cheap medical insurance canadians pay almost 16% sales tax on everything. Large purchases, like cars and houses get charged higher sales tax. And if u have to have some major surgery done a lot of times there is a waiting list.

People think Alaskans live in igloos and ride dogselds too ya know!

While it does sound like a good deal it could also be burdensome. Like the waiting list and the 16% sales tax.

Hm. Whats property tax like?

Sales tax where I am is 14% (PST + GST evenly split).
Porperty tax isnt all that bad either. Where I live right now it is $3,000 CDN for the year. Where we are moving in the city, it is just under $5,000 CDN per year.

You're missing the best part. Up here in Canada, we are all beer drinking, lumber jacks who play ice hockey 12 months out of the year. outdoors!! We beat up the french terrorists who are always trying to seperate. And for the 99% who don't work, they leach off our infamous social saftely net.

Sounds like fun. I bet you guys have some good maple syrup.
The B.C. Terrain is quite similar to the interior Alaska region. I would like to visit CA someday. Check things out. The property tax doesn't sound too much different than here in Alaska. We'll be paying about $2000 or so a year.

LOL
I live in Vancouver B.C., In the winter, it's dark already at around 4:30pm. I like astronomy, it's good for me in the winter.
BUT, in summer, the sky still haven't totally dark yet for star viewing even it's 10pm at night already, that sux.

The taxes aren't that bad really, 7% GST and 8% PST (they we're merged into the 15% HST, or Harmonized Sales Tax). It's a small price to pay for the social progams we have (that someone always tries to butcher, damns politicians).

Yea I wouldnt say the sales tax is killer or anything here. Property tax is fairly reasonable and low in most cases, compared to the social programs etc/ that we are provided with ( i guess becuase we dont spend billions upon billions on the military etc/)

And yes, same thing in Winnipeg for the light/dark. In the winter it's get dark around 4 or so. And last night I was out until 10:30 about when it was getting dark (still not dark enough at all for seeing any stars. And according to the clock last saturday when were we up really late partying, it starts to get light enough at around 4:15 to go out on the water without any lights, so pretty light already.

that sales tax must suck. You guys have income tax also? Cuz our sales tax is only 6% here in FL (I think it changes depending on the state, think cali is 7 or somethin) but income tax is a bitch. My health insurance isn't too bad - I pay $22/wk for health/dental/vision and a $20k life ins policy through my job. But that always changes depending on where you work. My current job has sweet benefits, not all are that good.

And, are prescription drugs really cheap up there or something? Cuz people (politicians mostly) are always talking bout importing "cheap" drugs from Canada. If they are so much cheaper, why?

(And you're lucky - you don't HAVE to spend much on military cuz everyone in the world knows better than to attack our neighbor lol. Mexico is lucky in that respect too I suppose.)

Yea, there is income tax here. And it all depends on how much you make, how much you put into RRSP etc/etc to the percentage that you pay. And for students 21 and under I believe, you get your tax's back at the end of the year (whatever was paid through your paycheck that is, to the fed gov).

Yea, perscription drugs are cheap up here. Mainly becuase of our licensing blahblahblah, and also becuase of how our drug patents work here, and deviations from the original formula or compound.

The price of prescription drugs is regulated by the government. So they are artifically low compared to the US. On top of that patents on drugs only last 7 years here instead of 20 in the US so we have lots of generic drugs as well.