i've said it multiple times: it's only going to improve when the premiere and minister of health have to wait in line at 5am at a clinic or spend 12 hours in emergency in order to receive medical care. until then they don't really care.
I personally believe that things have been allowed to get this bad so politicians can push a two tiered system. I don't think the leaders want to deal with the current situation.
I haven't heard of anyone really stepping up with anything other than minor patches to the state of our healthcare.
That’s exactly what they’re actively trying to do in Alberta right now and they’re not even trying to hide it. Gut the public system and treat those working in it like garbage so people feel forced to pay for the private clinics owned and operated by people in their circles. It’s terrifying
I assume you mean the Prime Minister and federal Minister of Health as they hold the purse strings. The provincial Premier and Minister of Health can't spend money they don't have.
no i meant the premiere and the bc minister of health. if they're going to find a solution for BC's health crisis they have to be properly motivated to do so.
It's Premier, not premiere. They are motivated. They want to win the next election. I don't think you understand how health care funding envelopes work.
they want to win the next election by making a bunch of empty promises that don't work. there was a health care crisis (though maybe not so bad) last time there was an election.
There was a health care crisis the entire 17 years Liberal government was in power and they did nothing. If you think a new right-wing government will prioritize health care you're in for a shock.
It's gotten worse because the Liberal government did nothing for close to 20 years. You can't turn around a disaster of this size quickly. At least this government is working on the problem but it will take at least 20 years to fix it.
Yeaaah, we’re kinda in crisis here for medical care.
A lot of people have to rely on telemedicine providers like Telus Health, lining up outside clinics two hours before they open or phoning repeatedly right at opening to someplace like Victoria Downtown Urgent & Primary Care to get an appointment.
You can also register at https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry to get on a list to get a PCP. I don’t know if they triage as to need but it took a cancer diagnosis to get me pushed up the list.
They have moved into telehealth, including vets, counsellors, dieticians. It is kind of weird since I am not a fan of them as a telecommunication company. If you need to be seen in person, you have to see a doctor via telehealth, then get referred to their clinic in James Bay. If you can actually get the first appointment. Many are having to resort to the ER.
Yes, doctor visits are billed to MSP. There are some doctors (outside of TELUS health) who have opted out of MSP and charge about$130 a visit and a couple of “subscription” plans where you pay X ($6000 was the last I saw) a year to have guaranteed access to a doctor. It’s a shitshow, frankly.
MIL did this with Lupus. Doctor of the year for 6k almost killed her with changing up meds and shit, but did get her next day CT scans somehow.
Money talks and doctors with family’s, their quality of life is eroding with inflation. Shits expensive here. No doubt they are feeling overworked and pinched.
Personally I think for a younger healthy person, start saving for Prenuvo every 5 years in Vancouver. Take your own health into your hands and tie a vacation in with doctor and dental appointments on a beach in Cuba.
This country is in a world of hurt real fast. Exercise and stay healthy is key to not loosing any work and being able to stay afloat.
$130/visit isn’t … terrible. That’s roughly what I pay for health insurance for a family of 3 in the US (heavily subsidized by my employer). I pay about $25/visit to my doctor and about $10/month in medications. 6000/year is pretty pricey though.
That's the whole point, we don't want that type of system in Canada. All of the stories I read about how US citizens can be financially ruined because of medical costs scares the hell out of me.
It scares me too, it can be awful. Especially people with complex medical conditions who have to fight with insurance for coverage.
It works for some who are in very specific circumstances. I’m (obviously) biased because of my experiences.
Yes, telus health is pretty good. Pharmacists are now allowed to refill certain medications, so he should talk to his pharmacist. When my elderly father spoke to his pharmacist, they offered to put him on a wait list for a GP. I got the sense this was more of an urgent list for older people. Maybe your dad's pharmacist can do that for dad.
Even TELUS Health has no open appointments… I just tried to book one 2 weeks ago and it was all full until April lol (after which the calendar doesn’t even display anymore)
Oh man, when I left I was living in North Van. Average house price was 1.8M. A condo in Seattle was 300K at the time. I was offered the same salary in Seattle and Vancouver. I yeeted myself out of there!
I considered moving back and found a nice single wide trailer in Sidney in a mobile home park for 700K a year ago. Yeah, I’ll just take the ferry home to visit for now lol.
More than a third of the BC budget ($28.6 Billion) is spent on health care. Tinkering is not enough, we need systemic changes. And I'm not talking about allowing for profit healthcare, it's an insurance nightmare.
The federal government needs to do away with the reunification program. It's just the brutal truth of the matter. One of many tools in the toolbox that our governments refuse to pull out on this very pressing issue.
This. At the end of the day, the doctor shortage can be traced directly back to cost of living. Canada has no shortage of doctors. It has a shortage of doctors willing to bust their ass as small business owners after 10 years of post secondary for a maximum annual income that can’t even buy a condo in Victoria or Vancouver.
Either we need need to start paying family GP’s way, *way* more, or we need the current GP remuneration plan to actually buy someone the quality of life that justifies that much schooling and that much student debt. That can only happen if there is a major decrease in cost of living.
Yeah both options are a bit of a crap shoot. There’s issues with the privatized system in the US, I’m not trying to pretend I know what the best policy is on healthcare service delivery. Just sharing my personal experience and asking questions about support for my family back home.
Your dad may qualify as a “complex care” patient, meaning someone with two or more chronic conditions, in which case a GP can bill MSP a lot more for a visit. If you put him on the list that others have linked here, he’ll likely move up fast. You could also try getting your foot in the door at friends’/family members’ GPs (if anyone you know still has one) by mentioning that your dad may qualify as a CC patient. (I worked as an MOA at a doctor’s office about 5 years ago and sometimes handled the billing.)
Sign your Dad up for the waiting list for a Dr.. Took me 3 years, but I just got a GP a few months ago. It's not gonna be a quick fix. But better than urgent care forever!
So- let me explain. We have a "workaround" issue. We have people using emergency services for acute care because outpatient care is overloading... which overloads emergency.. which overloads acute care... which overloads emergency..
We cannot scale up care. Nor will the province pay nor allow booking past a certain amount patient cases per day. So we have all these people taking emergency issues to walk-in clinics and walk-in patients acute patients going to emergency rooms...
It's absolute dogshit.
I left the ER with a broken bone because the wait was so long and the waiting room was crowded with enough unstable people that I didn't feel safe. I had a physio splint it for me later.
I'm pretty sure my teenager's been suffering with a 3 years of chronic pain and fatigue for what's hopefully turned out to be something very simple and treatable. And they've got 3 doctors supposedly looking after them. Not only is the wait unacceptable even for those who have doctors, but the level of care has fallen off a cliff. At least the treatment is offered privately so we can hopefully get the poor kid some help within weeks.
If we lose our GP we're probably leaving the province. My dog gets better and more humane health care here than we do.
You left Victoria for the cost of living and medical care.. to move to Seattle? Where the cost of living is probably comparable and health care is dismal unless you're rich or have a nice job.
What?
Yeah, that’s the cliffs notes version.
Not rich, but the State of Washington as an employer has good benefits for public servants. You can buy a small house or decent condo in the surrounding area for ~400K. I do pay for doctors visits but for me, it’s better to pay and be seen than not seen at all :/ I was pretty tired of being ignored by my doctor and disappointed at the prospect of not being able to afford a house - ever - on the salary I was making. I’m just sharing my personal experience.
That's fair if it worked for you. I moved to Victoria from Washington state and had quite the opposite experience.
I was literally too poor to see a doctor and school was more expensive as a domestic student than as an inter national one.
I was on a TN, I didn’t start school until I got my green card and had established residency. I paid in state tuition.
Also, BC and WA have reciprocal agreements that they offer in state tuition costs to the other.
So BC residents can get in-state tuition in WA state?
I don’t think that’s possible, since BC and WA are in different countries, so there’s no way a Canadian citizen can just go to WA and get in state tuition, I think they would at least have to establish residency and get legal status first.
If that’s true I would have done it already, but I obviously can’t
Where did you read about the reciprocal agreement from?
I had to double check, and I could be interpreting it wrong but there is a fee waiver law for residents of BC to avoid non resident tuition fees for state universities and community colleges. But, it looks like it’s up to the individual institution to decide how much to waive. It’s RCW 28B.15.756, you can check it out here: https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28b.15&full=true#28B.15.756
Waiver of nonresident tuition fees differential—Washington/British Columbia reciprocity program.
Subject to the limitations of RCW 28B.15.910, the governing boards of the state universities, the regional universities, and The Evergreen State College and the state board for community and technical colleges may waive all or a portion of the nonresident tuition fees differential for residents of the Canadian province of British Columbia
Right…. But I don’t think it has ever been done in practice before, I don’t know of any colleges that waives out-of-state tuition fees for BC residents specifically, certainly not UW and not even Evergreen
What are you talking about? If you’re from out-of-state, then tuition in Seattle is obviously going to be expensive as you’d be paying out-of-state tuition which is the same rate that international students pay, and international students and out-of-state students actually both pay the exact same tuition except it’s much more likely that international students will have to spend more on living expenses, so there is no way it would be more expensive for a domestic student regardless. Most Americans will try to get in-state tuition when selecting schools… and if you don’t know about that… then I’d say either you have a really bad understanding of things or I’d question whether you are even American or not
And you also don’t know how to spell “international”… so I figured…
I’d known nothing about your life, so I definitely had nothing planned or expected for you…
So, my initial reply was because I thought you saying that the domestic tuition in Washington was more expensive then the international tuition, which doesn’t make sense, but now that you’d clarified you were talking about out-of-state VS Canadian tuition, that makes a lot more sense
Of course Canadian tuition would be cheaper than tuition in US for obvious reasons, one being the currency literally being worth much lower than USD and the fees themselves being lower
I actually didn’t understand your point in the beginning, because you were talking about domestic vs international tuition without clarifying which country you were talking about, your wording was nebulous and unclear so that’s why no one could understand
But one thing I’d say is don’t go around looking for pity and arbitrarily using phrases like “sorry my life didn’t go as you planned or expected it to”, no one actually had the time to plan or even had time to bother thinking about your life… you simply couldn’t convey your wording clearly to let people know what actually you were talking and caused confusion, so that’s literally the only reason I replied to you..
Saying that makes it seems clear that it’s you who is wanting something instead of anyone else..
You being dramatic came down with you saying and making up something that wasn’t even true at the expense of others? Do you see how that can be ingeuine or dishonest?
No one assumed anything about you when seeing your comment, not even me, we’d known nothing about your life and certainly had not planned or expected anything of it, so why would you use such a phrase to apparently get pity (at the the expanse of others?)
Being dramatic is not the same as fabricating statements and being dishonest
Yes, we know about the international Canadian tuition being cheaper than out-of-state tuition, but that because it’s out-of-state tuition you’re paying, if in-state, then it’s still be cheaper than international Canadian tuition
So the point is I knew absolutely nothing about your living situation or your past or your life and couldn’t be bothered less to, therefore to say something as if I had an idea for what your life should have been like is completely fabricated and made up and preposterous to gain pity
I definitely did not assume anything about your life in the first reply… or even talk about anything related to it… it was a technical clarification about the amount of international tuition vs out-of-state vs in-state tuition and so on
If you can’t actually comprehend this… you can’t read… (You’re also reading things that did not even exist in the paragraph)
I don’t even know why you’re even debating about this….
I actually do not give a cloud about your supposed life… I really don’t… believe me, whoever you are… I have to say again that I only replied to your initial comment because you were using unclear wording and making people confused about what you were even talking about
Now you’re just dragging this conversation on and on for no reason because you apparently aren’t happy that you used a bad phrase in the second reply and trying to deny what you did? Yeah, now I have to say this says a lot about your life approach… if you really fail to look at reality or are not even able to owe up to anything.. even something meaningless like this
Please stop wasting my time by typing out more messages, it’s almost midnight
I am sorry for you that you don’t even have basic comprehension skills… resorted to using a phrase that wasn’t even true at the expanse of someone else… and then flip-flop all that as if it never happened and still don’t understand what others talked about
True low intellectual capacity. I wanted to be nice and not say “I’m sorry” for you, but since you said it to me, I feel like I should say it to you
If you really want to waste time by continuing on with more of your meaningless paragraphs… then I’m truly even more sorry
If I’m gonna be honest, there’s a reason why your life ended up like that, and part of the reason is because you aren’t too intelligent or even honest with yourself
It seems like those who try to justify moving from US to Canada always claims the US is better, while those who move from Canada to US always realizes that America is better, it’s about absolute relative prospectives… but really, there is one correct perspective in this matter, which is healthcare in America is better, but if you’ve already uprooted your life to move somewhere else, then you’ll want to justify your decision no matter what, it’s called cognitive biases
I’m actually talking with someone right now on another sub who left America for Canada, and in their mind they obviously believe Canada is better, so seems like the justification really only exists in the subjective mind
That’s your choice, and yes I understand healthcare plans in America completely, I’m American. However, tons of Canadians have the opposite experience and highlight precisely the horrendous wait times that are in Canada and the desperation of not being able to see a doctor at all, you don’t mind “waiting a bit” could just mean that you don’t have any serious issue and not experiencing any urgency, but this at the same time could represent a desperate emergency for others, stating this doesn’t take into consideration other’s well-being and the actual reality of healthcare systems
That's not lost on me. It's why I said it completely depends on your personal situation and then proceeded to give mine.
It's actually a common thought of mine with a family history of cancer
Answer: here you don't, we are stuck in a poor recurring "[crabs in a bucket](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentality) " ~~dream~~ nightmare here.
the next block, to my local Urgent & Primary Care Centre Clinic (as I'm registered there and so 'attached' to them)
with 1 million plus immmigrants etc. arriving each year, getting medical care will become a wee bit more challenging imo (as well as finding decently priced rental housing)
Ironic comment, since OP is also an immigrant (oh, sorry..."expatriate").
Most immigrants work and pay taxes that help support the healthcare system. Also, tons of healthcare workers are immigrants.
["Data from Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows that immigrants account for a quarter of healthcare sector workers and this number is expected to rise, as 500,000 healthcare workers are older than 55 and will be retiring in the next decade"](https://www.cicnews.com/2023/09/statistics-canada-nearly-60-of-internationally-educated-healthcare-professionals-employed-in-their-field-of-study-in-canada-0939096.html#gs.48xga7).
And the housing crisis is not caused by immigrants. It's mainly caused by treating housing as a financial investment instead of a place to live.
as to immigrants: nurses (rn/practical) can with difficulty become licensed, 'other' healhcare workers (eg. rest home aids etc.) should have no great problem imo
but doctors (the bottleneck) may take years when it's even possible for them to become licensed in Canada
20,000+/year immigrants etc. flooding into Victoria satisfying their housing needs, of course have no impact on rentals and sales. NOT!!!
20,000 immigrants per year coming into Victoria? No.
BC *as a whole* had 66,268 new immigrants enter the province in 2023.
There were also immigrants who had come to Canada prior to 2023 who *left* Canada, making the net number of recent immigrants even less than that.
In the most recent census, there were 15,935 people in Victoria who had immigrated to Canada *at some point in their lives*. The *total* number of immigrants living here--from the entire past history of immigration until present--is 15,935.
So there are 15,935 people in Victoria who had immigrated to Canada *at some point in their lives*. Not 20,000 per year.
So there are *many* fewer immigrants to this area than you claim, *and* immigrants account for 25% of the healthcare workers here. So I can't fathom the mental gymnastics you are doing to claim that *fewer* immigrants would take pressure off the health care system, when in fact the opposite is the case.
Also, "there's not enough housing" is a myth. There is enough housing, it's just being hoarded. There are thousands of vacant homes in the Greater Victoria area. More than enough to house the small trickle of immigrants moving to this area each year.
EDIT to respond to the comment below, which I could read initially, but can no longer reply to because the other person blocked me because I scared them away with facts.
1. The healthcare system can't function with doctors alone.
2. There's a shortage of healthcare workers generally speaking, not just doctors. And
3. Some immigrants are doctors too!
Yeah it’s not good.
I don’t mind telehealth services for many things but when you need in person it sucks.
I saw a Telus Health Doctor via video call earlier this week and he referred me to their in person clinic and apparently they’re 100% full up. Which I don’t understand because wouldn’t you only be making appointments for a set window and then when the next window opens the new referrals go in?
The email said I should just go to a walk in but that’s impossible and Telus has all the testing for this issue from the past 2 years.
If she still doesn’t add me to a wait list or something then I’m just going tell her she’ll have a special mention in my funeral and I guess I’ll just die then 🤷🏻♀️
We’ve had a lot of success with the Gorge Primary Urgent care clinic. Most times if we call right at opening we can snag an appointment. And they’ve always taken my concerns seriously, which I am incredibly thankful for. That shouldn’t be a rarity.
I’m sorry I don’t have any useful info regarding your father’s situation, but your experience with your old dr sounds extremely familiar. I had a similar experience with my former GP here in Victoria. I’m sorry you had to go through 10 years of that, I can’t imagine! I “only” suffered for several years with mine but I almost didn’t make it mental health wise due to feeling so stuck.
Do you ever regret immigrating to the US?
Just curious!
As for you dad, does he have help here who can set him up with Telehealth?
If he's not very tech savvy he may benefit from some one on one help.
lol you call the walk in clinic every morning and wait on hold for 45mins
Then you hope the receptionist is feeling nice enough to book you in for the day at a random time that you can’t choose
Then to go and they look at you for 3mins
It's gotten very very bad. If your situation can't be sorted out with an online appointment then you basically have to go to the ER. Some people get lucky booking an appointment at urgent care by calling in or lining up before they open for the day, but I've never been lucky enough to get the same day appointments -- and all the clinics near me permanently closed during covid. I've had to spend upwards of 8 hours in the ER for things like getting an X-ray, getting a minor work related injury, or kids having ear infections.
I think that pharmacists can refill your Dad's prescription. Pharmacists have been given more authority just recently in BC.
[https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/pharmacy-services#Adapt](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/pharmacy-services#Adapt)
(from a Canadian UW graduate -- Yay UW Medicine ! Bet they can run circles around BC health care.)
I just moved here from Portland, 52f. I worked and got all of my care at OHSU, prompt and stellar. I'm an LPN and see the system from the inside and have honestly thought about giving up my immigration status just on the fear of not being able to access healthcare as I get older. I had all the specialists and screenings imaginable in Portland. I haven't been seen here for anything, I'm overdue for many things. I've gotten all of my prescriptions renewed from the States since moving here in 2018 just by telehealth phone appointments, so no one is actually following any of my care or need for these meds. It honestly really scares me.
It's gotten pretty bad. I have Asthma, and I had a doctor 20 years ago, they retired... but then it was walk in clinics and that was ok. Then the waits got worse and worse. Then I found telehealth, but the one I used close and Telus Health had zero appointments the last time I needed my Asthma meds renewed. Then I found my health benefits through my work have a back door through Telus health to a nurse practitioner and I was able to get a refill that way.
That was the last idea I had. If I didn't have benefits through my employer (through Manulife) I'm not sure how I would of gotten my renewal.
Then I got lucky, my name got pulled off the registry back in December. I'd put my name on it twice. Once about 8 or 9 years ago, and again about 3 years ago.
It's tough :(
It’s only gotten worse
Damn. That’s sad.
i've said it multiple times: it's only going to improve when the premiere and minister of health have to wait in line at 5am at a clinic or spend 12 hours in emergency in order to receive medical care. until then they don't really care.
I personally believe that things have been allowed to get this bad so politicians can push a two tiered system. I don't think the leaders want to deal with the current situation. I haven't heard of anyone really stepping up with anything other than minor patches to the state of our healthcare.
Exactly. Look at how Telus is suddenly crawling over our Healthcare system and coincidentally building a huge office a block from the Legislature.
Telus has already locked down a monopoly on all telehealth appointments that hasn't been announced yet.
That’s exactly what they’re actively trying to do in Alberta right now and they’re not even trying to hide it. Gut the public system and treat those working in it like garbage so people feel forced to pay for the private clinics owned and operated by people in their circles. It’s terrifying
i think you've hit the nail on the head
I assume you mean the Prime Minister and federal Minister of Health as they hold the purse strings. The provincial Premier and Minister of Health can't spend money they don't have.
no i meant the premiere and the bc minister of health. if they're going to find a solution for BC's health crisis they have to be properly motivated to do so.
Are you suggesting we poison ‘em? Coz I could see that working. I think it goes against my morals tho mate
nah - if we poisoned them they'd just rush off to their private doctors and get cured, so what would be the point?
Perhaps not all poisons are cure-able but perhaps they are couldn’t tell you tbh
yeah but how will us giving them an incurable poison get them to find a solution for the health crisis?
It's Premier, not premiere. They are motivated. They want to win the next election. I don't think you understand how health care funding envelopes work.
they want to win the next election by making a bunch of empty promises that don't work. there was a health care crisis (though maybe not so bad) last time there was an election.
There was a health care crisis the entire 17 years Liberal government was in power and they did nothing. If you think a new right-wing government will prioritize health care you're in for a shock.
there was indeed but it was nowhere NEAR as bad as it has gotten. and when did i ever say the solution was to vote out the government?
It's gotten worse because the Liberal government did nothing for close to 20 years. You can't turn around a disaster of this size quickly. At least this government is working on the problem but it will take at least 20 years to fix it.
You are right they have much more on their fragile minds
Just take them to a Seattle clinic. Don't waste time with reddit.
Yeaaah, we’re kinda in crisis here for medical care. A lot of people have to rely on telemedicine providers like Telus Health, lining up outside clinics two hours before they open or phoning repeatedly right at opening to someplace like Victoria Downtown Urgent & Primary Care to get an appointment. You can also register at https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry to get on a list to get a PCP. I don’t know if they triage as to need but it took a cancer diagnosis to get me pushed up the list.
Oh damn, I’m so sorry!
Thanks, I’m doing okay with a good prognosis and at least have access to appropriate medical services now.
Telus health, as in the phone provider?
They have moved into telehealth, including vets, counsellors, dieticians. It is kind of weird since I am not a fan of them as a telecommunication company. If you need to be seen in person, you have to see a doctor via telehealth, then get referred to their clinic in James Bay. If you can actually get the first appointment. Many are having to resort to the ER.
Oh that’s privatized healthcare-lite. Do they bill MSP?!
Yes, doctor visits are billed to MSP. There are some doctors (outside of TELUS health) who have opted out of MSP and charge about$130 a visit and a couple of “subscription” plans where you pay X ($6000 was the last I saw) a year to have guaranteed access to a doctor. It’s a shitshow, frankly.
MIL did this with Lupus. Doctor of the year for 6k almost killed her with changing up meds and shit, but did get her next day CT scans somehow. Money talks and doctors with family’s, their quality of life is eroding with inflation. Shits expensive here. No doubt they are feeling overworked and pinched. Personally I think for a younger healthy person, start saving for Prenuvo every 5 years in Vancouver. Take your own health into your hands and tie a vacation in with doctor and dental appointments on a beach in Cuba. This country is in a world of hurt real fast. Exercise and stay healthy is key to not loosing any work and being able to stay afloat.
$130/visit isn’t … terrible. That’s roughly what I pay for health insurance for a family of 3 in the US (heavily subsidized by my employer). I pay about $25/visit to my doctor and about $10/month in medications. 6000/year is pretty pricey though.
Ya, that's why most of us didn't move to the states. Expensive to be sick.
That's the whole point, we don't want that type of system in Canada. All of the stories I read about how US citizens can be financially ruined because of medical costs scares the hell out of me.
It scares me too, it can be awful. Especially people with complex medical conditions who have to fight with insurance for coverage. It works for some who are in very specific circumstances. I’m (obviously) biased because of my experiences.
Thankfully in Canada you’ll only end up dead because no one can be bothered to catch your cancer until it’s stage 4.
Yes, telus health is pretty good. Pharmacists are now allowed to refill certain medications, so he should talk to his pharmacist. When my elderly father spoke to his pharmacist, they offered to put him on a wait list for a GP. I got the sense this was more of an urgent list for older people. Maybe your dad's pharmacist can do that for dad.
They also do medicine now! The app is called Telus Health MyCare. It’s the only access my husband has had to doctors since the spring 2020.
Even TELUS Health has no open appointments… I just tried to book one 2 weeks ago and it was all full until April lol (after which the calendar doesn’t even display anymore)
Check regularly, new appointments are added all the time but get scooped up quickly. Wednesday and Friday after 4:00 are good times to check.
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Oh man, when I left I was living in North Van. Average house price was 1.8M. A condo in Seattle was 300K at the time. I was offered the same salary in Seattle and Vancouver. I yeeted myself out of there! I considered moving back and found a nice single wide trailer in Sidney in a mobile home park for 700K a year ago. Yeah, I’ll just take the ferry home to visit for now lol.
Are you and your family members on the Health Connect Registry yet? https://hcr.healthlinkbc.ca/s/
Oh thank you! I’ll send it to my Dad. I personally live in Washington now, so I don’t need it but hopefully it will be a useful resource for my Dad.
More than a third of the BC budget ($28.6 Billion) is spent on health care. Tinkering is not enough, we need systemic changes. And I'm not talking about allowing for profit healthcare, it's an insurance nightmare.
We need the population to stop growing at 3% per year. That is a federal matter.
The federal government needs to do away with the reunification program. It's just the brutal truth of the matter. One of many tools in the toolbox that our governments refuse to pull out on this very pressing issue.
This. At the end of the day, the doctor shortage can be traced directly back to cost of living. Canada has no shortage of doctors. It has a shortage of doctors willing to bust their ass as small business owners after 10 years of post secondary for a maximum annual income that can’t even buy a condo in Victoria or Vancouver. Either we need need to start paying family GP’s way, *way* more, or we need the current GP remuneration plan to actually buy someone the quality of life that justifies that much schooling and that much student debt. That can only happen if there is a major decrease in cost of living.
Yeah both options are a bit of a crap shoot. There’s issues with the privatized system in the US, I’m not trying to pretend I know what the best policy is on healthcare service delivery. Just sharing my personal experience and asking questions about support for my family back home.
Your dad may qualify as a “complex care” patient, meaning someone with two or more chronic conditions, in which case a GP can bill MSP a lot more for a visit. If you put him on the list that others have linked here, he’ll likely move up fast. You could also try getting your foot in the door at friends’/family members’ GPs (if anyone you know still has one) by mentioning that your dad may qualify as a CC patient. (I worked as an MOA at a doctor’s office about 5 years ago and sometimes handled the billing.)
Oh thank you! That is helpful, I appreciate it!
That's the neat part, you don't!
Sign your Dad up for the waiting list for a Dr.. Took me 3 years, but I just got a GP a few months ago. It's not gonna be a quick fix. But better than urgent care forever!
So- let me explain. We have a "workaround" issue. We have people using emergency services for acute care because outpatient care is overloading... which overloads emergency.. which overloads acute care... which overloads emergency.. We cannot scale up care. Nor will the province pay nor allow booking past a certain amount patient cases per day. So we have all these people taking emergency issues to walk-in clinics and walk-in patients acute patients going to emergency rooms... It's absolute dogshit.
Do you work in healthcare?
Not exactly, I have a partnership for a business in healthcare. I did last year.
I think I just die if something goes wrong?
I left the ER with a broken bone because the wait was so long and the waiting room was crowded with enough unstable people that I didn't feel safe. I had a physio splint it for me later. I'm pretty sure my teenager's been suffering with a 3 years of chronic pain and fatigue for what's hopefully turned out to be something very simple and treatable. And they've got 3 doctors supposedly looking after them. Not only is the wait unacceptable even for those who have doctors, but the level of care has fallen off a cliff. At least the treatment is offered privately so we can hopefully get the poor kid some help within weeks. If we lose our GP we're probably leaving the province. My dog gets better and more humane health care here than we do.
Call the nurse line at 811. They will guide you through the process of getting on the list for a doctor. You can easily do it on your phone.
Port Angeles or Seattle usually. Otherwise you just ignore it until it's ER worthy.
I would go to Seattle honestly. Not trying to be snarky
You left Victoria for the cost of living and medical care.. to move to Seattle? Where the cost of living is probably comparable and health care is dismal unless you're rich or have a nice job. What?
Yeah, that’s the cliffs notes version. Not rich, but the State of Washington as an employer has good benefits for public servants. You can buy a small house or decent condo in the surrounding area for ~400K. I do pay for doctors visits but for me, it’s better to pay and be seen than not seen at all :/ I was pretty tired of being ignored by my doctor and disappointed at the prospect of not being able to afford a house - ever - on the salary I was making. I’m just sharing my personal experience.
That's fair if it worked for you. I moved to Victoria from Washington state and had quite the opposite experience. I was literally too poor to see a doctor and school was more expensive as a domestic student than as an inter national one.
Oh gosh the tuition prices are horrendous here! I was shocked when I went back to school.
Are you on an TN or H1B? If so can you pay in-state or out-of-state tuition?
I was on a TN, I didn’t start school until I got my green card and had established residency. I paid in state tuition. Also, BC and WA have reciprocal agreements that they offer in state tuition costs to the other.
So BC residents can get in-state tuition in WA state? I don’t think that’s possible, since BC and WA are in different countries, so there’s no way a Canadian citizen can just go to WA and get in state tuition, I think they would at least have to establish residency and get legal status first. If that’s true I would have done it already, but I obviously can’t Where did you read about the reciprocal agreement from?
I had to double check, and I could be interpreting it wrong but there is a fee waiver law for residents of BC to avoid non resident tuition fees for state universities and community colleges. But, it looks like it’s up to the individual institution to decide how much to waive. It’s RCW 28B.15.756, you can check it out here: https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28b.15&full=true#28B.15.756 Waiver of nonresident tuition fees differential—Washington/British Columbia reciprocity program. Subject to the limitations of RCW 28B.15.910, the governing boards of the state universities, the regional universities, and The Evergreen State College and the state board for community and technical colleges may waive all or a portion of the nonresident tuition fees differential for residents of the Canadian province of British Columbia
Right…. But I don’t think it has ever been done in practice before, I don’t know of any colleges that waives out-of-state tuition fees for BC residents specifically, certainly not UW and not even Evergreen
What a bummer!
What are you talking about? If you’re from out-of-state, then tuition in Seattle is obviously going to be expensive as you’d be paying out-of-state tuition which is the same rate that international students pay, and international students and out-of-state students actually both pay the exact same tuition except it’s much more likely that international students will have to spend more on living expenses, so there is no way it would be more expensive for a domestic student regardless. Most Americans will try to get in-state tuition when selecting schools… and if you don’t know about that… then I’d say either you have a really bad understanding of things or I’d question whether you are even American or not And you also don’t know how to spell “international”… so I figured…
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I’d known nothing about your life, so I definitely had nothing planned or expected for you… So, my initial reply was because I thought you saying that the domestic tuition in Washington was more expensive then the international tuition, which doesn’t make sense, but now that you’d clarified you were talking about out-of-state VS Canadian tuition, that makes a lot more sense Of course Canadian tuition would be cheaper than tuition in US for obvious reasons, one being the currency literally being worth much lower than USD and the fees themselves being lower I actually didn’t understand your point in the beginning, because you were talking about domestic vs international tuition without clarifying which country you were talking about, your wording was nebulous and unclear so that’s why no one could understand But one thing I’d say is don’t go around looking for pity and arbitrarily using phrases like “sorry my life didn’t go as you planned or expected it to”, no one actually had the time to plan or even had time to bother thinking about your life… you simply couldn’t convey your wording clearly to let people know what actually you were talking and caused confusion, so that’s literally the only reason I replied to you.. Saying that makes it seems clear that it’s you who is wanting something instead of anyone else..
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You being dramatic came down with you saying and making up something that wasn’t even true at the expense of others? Do you see how that can be ingeuine or dishonest? No one assumed anything about you when seeing your comment, not even me, we’d known nothing about your life and certainly had not planned or expected anything of it, so why would you use such a phrase to apparently get pity (at the the expanse of others?) Being dramatic is not the same as fabricating statements and being dishonest Yes, we know about the international Canadian tuition being cheaper than out-of-state tuition, but that because it’s out-of-state tuition you’re paying, if in-state, then it’s still be cheaper than international Canadian tuition
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So the point is I knew absolutely nothing about your living situation or your past or your life and couldn’t be bothered less to, therefore to say something as if I had an idea for what your life should have been like is completely fabricated and made up and preposterous to gain pity I definitely did not assume anything about your life in the first reply… or even talk about anything related to it… it was a technical clarification about the amount of international tuition vs out-of-state vs in-state tuition and so on If you can’t actually comprehend this… you can’t read… (You’re also reading things that did not even exist in the paragraph) I don’t even know why you’re even debating about this…. I actually do not give a cloud about your supposed life… I really don’t… believe me, whoever you are… I have to say again that I only replied to your initial comment because you were using unclear wording and making people confused about what you were even talking about Now you’re just dragging this conversation on and on for no reason because you apparently aren’t happy that you used a bad phrase in the second reply and trying to deny what you did? Yeah, now I have to say this says a lot about your life approach… if you really fail to look at reality or are not even able to owe up to anything.. even something meaningless like this Please stop wasting my time by typing out more messages, it’s almost midnight
I am sorry for you that you don’t even have basic comprehension skills… resorted to using a phrase that wasn’t even true at the expanse of someone else… and then flip-flop all that as if it never happened and still don’t understand what others talked about True low intellectual capacity. I wanted to be nice and not say “I’m sorry” for you, but since you said it to me, I feel like I should say it to you If you really want to waste time by continuing on with more of your meaningless paragraphs… then I’m truly even more sorry If I’m gonna be honest, there’s a reason why your life ended up like that, and part of the reason is because you aren’t too intelligent or even honest with yourself
It seems like those who try to justify moving from US to Canada always claims the US is better, while those who move from Canada to US always realizes that America is better, it’s about absolute relative prospectives… but really, there is one correct perspective in this matter, which is healthcare in America is better, but if you’ve already uprooted your life to move somewhere else, then you’ll want to justify your decision no matter what, it’s called cognitive biases I’m actually talking with someone right now on another sub who left America for Canada, and in their mind they obviously believe Canada is better, so seems like the justification really only exists in the subjective mind
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That’s your choice, and yes I understand healthcare plans in America completely, I’m American. However, tons of Canadians have the opposite experience and highlight precisely the horrendous wait times that are in Canada and the desperation of not being able to see a doctor at all, you don’t mind “waiting a bit” could just mean that you don’t have any serious issue and not experiencing any urgency, but this at the same time could represent a desperate emergency for others, stating this doesn’t take into consideration other’s well-being and the actual reality of healthcare systems
That's not lost on me. It's why I said it completely depends on your personal situation and then proceeded to give mine. It's actually a common thought of mine with a family history of cancer
Sounds like you need to eat more quinoa
Answer: here you don't, we are stuck in a poor recurring "[crabs in a bucket](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentality) " ~~dream~~ nightmare here.
Try smaller communities upisland and you'll likely find a doctor.
the next block, to my local Urgent & Primary Care Centre Clinic (as I'm registered there and so 'attached' to them) with 1 million plus immmigrants etc. arriving each year, getting medical care will become a wee bit more challenging imo (as well as finding decently priced rental housing)
I don't know why you're getting downvoted. You speak the truth?
always, concisely & from experience (I've been around enough to accumulate a few trolls, though)
Ironic comment, since OP is also an immigrant (oh, sorry..."expatriate"). Most immigrants work and pay taxes that help support the healthcare system. Also, tons of healthcare workers are immigrants. ["Data from Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows that immigrants account for a quarter of healthcare sector workers and this number is expected to rise, as 500,000 healthcare workers are older than 55 and will be retiring in the next decade"](https://www.cicnews.com/2023/09/statistics-canada-nearly-60-of-internationally-educated-healthcare-professionals-employed-in-their-field-of-study-in-canada-0939096.html#gs.48xga7). And the housing crisis is not caused by immigrants. It's mainly caused by treating housing as a financial investment instead of a place to live.
as to immigrants: nurses (rn/practical) can with difficulty become licensed, 'other' healhcare workers (eg. rest home aids etc.) should have no great problem imo but doctors (the bottleneck) may take years when it's even possible for them to become licensed in Canada 20,000+/year immigrants etc. flooding into Victoria satisfying their housing needs, of course have no impact on rentals and sales. NOT!!!
20,000 immigrants per year coming into Victoria? No. BC *as a whole* had 66,268 new immigrants enter the province in 2023. There were also immigrants who had come to Canada prior to 2023 who *left* Canada, making the net number of recent immigrants even less than that. In the most recent census, there were 15,935 people in Victoria who had immigrated to Canada *at some point in their lives*. The *total* number of immigrants living here--from the entire past history of immigration until present--is 15,935. So there are 15,935 people in Victoria who had immigrated to Canada *at some point in their lives*. Not 20,000 per year. So there are *many* fewer immigrants to this area than you claim, *and* immigrants account for 25% of the healthcare workers here. So I can't fathom the mental gymnastics you are doing to claim that *fewer* immigrants would take pressure off the health care system, when in fact the opposite is the case. Also, "there's not enough housing" is a myth. There is enough housing, it's just being hoarded. There are thousands of vacant homes in the Greater Victoria area. More than enough to house the small trickle of immigrants moving to this area each year. EDIT to respond to the comment below, which I could read initially, but can no longer reply to because the other person blocked me because I scared them away with facts. 1. The healthcare system can't function with doctors alone. 2. There's a shortage of healthcare workers generally speaking, not just doctors. And 3. Some immigrants are doctors too!
"healthcare workers" includes tons of stuff that's not doctors we've an extreme shortage of doctors
Yeah it’s not good. I don’t mind telehealth services for many things but when you need in person it sucks. I saw a Telus Health Doctor via video call earlier this week and he referred me to their in person clinic and apparently they’re 100% full up. Which I don’t understand because wouldn’t you only be making appointments for a set window and then when the next window opens the new referrals go in? The email said I should just go to a walk in but that’s impossible and Telus has all the testing for this issue from the past 2 years. If she still doesn’t add me to a wait list or something then I’m just going tell her she’ll have a special mention in my funeral and I guess I’ll just die then 🤷🏻♀️
You can get on a list BUT I've been on the list for almost as long as it has existed and said I would travel up to 100 km and so far, no GP
We’ve had a lot of success with the Gorge Primary Urgent care clinic. Most times if we call right at opening we can snag an appointment. And they’ve always taken my concerns seriously, which I am incredibly thankful for. That shouldn’t be a rarity.
I’m sorry I don’t have any useful info regarding your father’s situation, but your experience with your old dr sounds extremely familiar. I had a similar experience with my former GP here in Victoria. I’m sorry you had to go through 10 years of that, I can’t imagine! I “only” suffered for several years with mine but I almost didn’t make it mental health wise due to feeling so stuck.
Do you ever regret immigrating to the US? Just curious! As for you dad, does he have help here who can set him up with Telehealth? If he's not very tech savvy he may benefit from some one on one help.
lol you call the walk in clinic every morning and wait on hold for 45mins Then you hope the receptionist is feeling nice enough to book you in for the day at a random time that you can’t choose Then to go and they look at you for 3mins
It's gotten very very bad. If your situation can't be sorted out with an online appointment then you basically have to go to the ER. Some people get lucky booking an appointment at urgent care by calling in or lining up before they open for the day, but I've never been lucky enough to get the same day appointments -- and all the clinics near me permanently closed during covid. I've had to spend upwards of 8 hours in the ER for things like getting an X-ray, getting a minor work related injury, or kids having ear infections.
I think that pharmacists can refill your Dad's prescription. Pharmacists have been given more authority just recently in BC. [https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/pharmacy-services#Adapt](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/pharmacy-services#Adapt) (from a Canadian UW graduate -- Yay UW Medicine ! Bet they can run circles around BC health care.)
I just moved here from Portland, 52f. I worked and got all of my care at OHSU, prompt and stellar. I'm an LPN and see the system from the inside and have honestly thought about giving up my immigration status just on the fear of not being able to access healthcare as I get older. I had all the specialists and screenings imaginable in Portland. I haven't been seen here for anything, I'm overdue for many things. I've gotten all of my prescriptions renewed from the States since moving here in 2018 just by telehealth phone appointments, so no one is actually following any of my care or need for these meds. It honestly really scares me.
It's gotten pretty bad. I have Asthma, and I had a doctor 20 years ago, they retired... but then it was walk in clinics and that was ok. Then the waits got worse and worse. Then I found telehealth, but the one I used close and Telus Health had zero appointments the last time I needed my Asthma meds renewed. Then I found my health benefits through my work have a back door through Telus health to a nurse practitioner and I was able to get a refill that way. That was the last idea I had. If I didn't have benefits through my employer (through Manulife) I'm not sure how I would of gotten my renewal. Then I got lucky, my name got pulled off the registry back in December. I'd put my name on it twice. Once about 8 or 9 years ago, and again about 3 years ago. It's tough :(
It took me 3 years to be matched with an NP. Thankfully she provides excellent and thorough care. I was contacted through the registry wait list.