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I don't want to get into a mix between Canadians other than to congratulate all of you on your excellent health care system, your lovely country, and your very friendly people. I do remember that Canada was rated either first or second in quality of health care last year or the year before. That was for all its citizens, of course, not just a select few.
If I had not hit 65 and become eligible for Medicare when I was diagnosed with a HER2 cancer after returning to the United States in December 2005 (I paid taxes here for more than 43 years), I would now be paying some $70,000 a year for herceptin.
Just yesterday I received a letter from my Medicare HMO informing me that it recently merged with another HMO. After looking at the Medicare drug insert that accompanied the notice, it looks as though I may be back to paying the $70,000. Alas, I don't have $70,000, but then I am luckier than most as I can return to Italy (like Canada, Italy has socialized medicine) where I established residency and thus have medical insurance. Herceptin was approved in Italy for early stage HER2 cancers before it was approved in the United States, and in Italy citizens get their health care at minimum cost. I pay 320 euros a year ($400) for my health care in Italy and my husband pays 320 euros. When I left the United States in 2001, I was paying $1000 a month (for myself and husband). I dropped our private U.S. insurance while living in Italy, as the monthly cost kept going up, finally to $1500 a month for the two of us. $800 a year versus $18,000, that’s quite a difference.
When my husband needed an emergency colonoscopy in Italy even before we had insurance there, it was done quickly, efficiently, and safely, and the hospital and doctor refused to charge him. To quote his Italian doctor, "we don't charge our own citizens, why would we charge you?"
I thought that those of you who don’t know about medical coverage in other countries might be interested in my first-hand experiences. <o></o>
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