A Calgary clinic informed its clients it would be introducing a “membership-based medical service,” running $4,800 a year for a two-parent family membership.

Such arrangements have been growing increasingly common in recent years, experts say.

      • jtmetcalfe@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        12·
        2 years ago

        A what? The vast majority of Americans do not make routine office visits and rely on emergency clinics for healthcare when there is an issue

          • jtmetcalfe@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
            8·
            2 years ago

            I had to visit the ER clinic down the street from where I live (there’s one on basically every corner) just a few months ago. I don’t do annual check ups even though I have health insurance from work because the copays and any procedure costs are still significant out of pocket, my deductible is over $7k USD per year and I’m not going to be spending that any time soon. Anyways the doctor that I saw did me a solid, he told me I could use some pliers at home instead of having to pay the exorbitant fees at the ER clinic, so I was able to remove the arrow from my knee all by myself.

  • Crystal_Shards64@lemmy.worldEnglish
    27·
    2 years ago

    The Alberta government will do whatever they can to strip public Healthcare. They benefit from introducing private care. They’re going to push for it regardless of how it hurts regular people.

  • AnonymousLlama@kbin.social
    24·
    2 years ago

    The constant attack on healthcare across western countries is starting to become pretty horrifying. Not liking where this is all going

  • Seigest@lemmy.caEnglish
    14·
    2 years ago

    Can confirm it’s happening in Toronto not 5k but they don’t even seem to guarantee appointment times or that your getting an actual doctor. And given how hard it is to get a family doctor here I’m almost desperate enough to pay it.

    Evidence: https://www.careand.ca/family-practice

  • Arsisaria@lemmy.worldEnglish
    9·
    2 years ago

    What a nightmare. Double dipping, but I do actually kinda not feel that bad for anyone who falls for this, except for how it hurts the rest of the system.

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.caEnglish
      13·
      2 years ago

      People do not readily take advantage of this kind of service.

      When there’s truly no choice, though, people will pay.

      But this is criminally a dick move.

      • Arsisaria@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        2 years ago

        I’m not sure there’s much to take advantage of. It’s mostly rich dicks paying to avoid lines which aren’t even that bad. There is not a “truly no choice” context in Calgary, since care is given based on need. Sure, go to the ER with a cut hand and you’ll wait 24 hours, but a community clinic will be able to have you in within an hour most of the time. I remember as a teen I was very sick and was waiting at the ER of the children’s and when my condition got worse, they immediately started taking care of me. It’s a myth that anybody is any danger as a result of waiting for care.

    • Kichae@kbin.social
      13·
      2 years ago

      Sure, it’s fine. It’s fine that people with means can see a doctor quickly, while those without cannot. And it’s fine that the wealthy can get those tests done right away, and those scans complete day of, while everybody else is on a 6 - 12 month wait list.

      There’s totally nothing absolutely fucking evil about that. And it definitely incentivizes politicians to improve the public system for the poor.