I have a confession to make. When I lived in the United States, I was a have. My teaching position provided me and my family with Lexus like health benefits. The co-pays were manageable and even the prescription drug package worked more or less within the budget.

My doctor was actually a nurse practioner, but she was fabulous. She listened and accepted my googling and input into my own care. Same day appointments were almost never a problem and the clinic she was attached to even had limited walk-in clinic hours on the weekends. There was never an issue about getting refills over the phone or her faxing the pharmacy with orders.

Now I live in western Canada. The province of Alberta was one of the few that charged an annual fee to its residents for the universal health care they received. I was a bit stunned to discover that for a single person, it was about $525 CAN a year. I don’t think a U.S. citizen could find an insurance company which would charge so little per month. However, most Albertans disliked the fee and come this January, the province is eliminating it completely. Health care will be a right of residency. Read Full Article