I'm from a middle-class family, but for reasons that aren't totally clear to me, my family didn't really have health insurance even though my father was employed. We were well-off enough that I was able to come to Canada for school, where I went to UBC.
These are the things I've experienced:
- You are required, as an international student, to sign up for the provincial healthcare program, MSP. I believe I paid $75 a month for health insurance.
- I was able to see a doctor very early on (mood disorder) and treatment was very satisfactory. I liked my doctor, I liked how the system works. Is it perfect? Of course not.
- I had an episode which put me in the hospital for over a month (would have been the start of 2016). At the time, I had not notified MSP of the change in my address, so I had stopped receiving bills and paying for them. When I was hospitalized, they told me that I owed about 3 years of MSP payments (around $3k). In essence, I paid 3k for a hospital stay that lasted close to 40 days.
- After being discharged from the hospital, I was assigned to a mental health team. It wasn't near where I lived, so I was able to transfer to a closer one. The team consisted of a psychiatrist and, in essence, a social worker who monitored my mental health and encouraged me to do things like group activities to make friends who were also dealing with mental health issues.
- As part of my hospitalization, I tried art therapy, which I continued to engage in after being discharged. Therapy was a bit expensive (think around $150 for an hour and a half, which was a bit much for someone who was just getting started working), but it was effective and helpful.
- I left the mental health team and began seeing a psychiatrist through UBC's student health services. I still see them even though I've graduated. I pay nothing for these appointments.
- I work full time and have private health insurance through my job. This insurance covers my current CBT costs for the most part, as well as providing an HSA plan which I use to pay for medication that isn't covered by MSP.
I've also done things like participated in a university study on perfectionism (12 weeks, group therapy situation).
I think the biggest takeaway from my experience is that, as a result of my mental health disabilities, I would not move back to the United States. I don't feel comfortable with the idea that healthcare would be tied to my employment. If I lost my job and was unable to adequately care for myself as a result, it would likely be close to impossible to find a new job!
To me, it feels like Canadian healthcare is not necessarily a perfect system, but it is a system which works well for most people. People aren't afraid of being sick, they're not afraid of medical bills causing bankruptcy, and they are more able to freely live their lives because the government is actually in a position to take care of its citizens.