The Truth About Canadian Healthcare
加拿大医疗系统的真相
译校：
FungChuh
人文经济学会资助译制
Why can’tAmerica’s healthcare system be more like Canada’s?
美国的医疗系统为什么不能更像加拿大？
Here’s whatmost people who ask that question think they know about Canadian-stylehealthcare:
以下是大多数问这个问题的人自以为对加拿大式医疗系统的理解：
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1. Everybody gets covered.
1）所有人都覆盖到。
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2. It’s free.
2）它是免费的。
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3. It’s great.
3）它很棒。
Number one istrue. Everybody is covered.
第一条是真的。所有人都覆盖到。
Number two isfalse. Nothing is free. Canadians pay for their insurance through their taxes.And, as you might expect, the tax rates in Canada are very high.
第二条是假的。没什么是免费的。加拿大人通过纳税来为他们的保险买单。而且，如你所料，加拿大的税率非常高。
And numberthree is… well, let’s just say it’s questionable. Let’s find out howquestionable. But before we do, let me tell you a bit about me.
而第三条……好吧，就说它是可疑的吧。让我们一起看看有多可疑。但在这之前，让我简单介绍一下自己。
I was born andraised in Montreal, Canada. That makes me French Canadian. I’m so FrenchCanadian, my name—Alan—is spelled A-L-A-I-N. I have also lived and worked inthe United States. I have experienced both Canadian health care and Americanhealth care. Here are some of my experiences with the Canadian system, the oneso many Americans aspire to. I believe they are typical. So do the Canadians Iknow.
我出生并成长于加拿大的蒙特利尔。这让我成为了一个法裔加拿大人。我是个十足的法裔加拿大人，我的名字——Alan——拼写是 A-L-A-I-N。我也在美国生活和工作过。加拿大医疗和美国医疗我都体验过。以下是我对许多美国人向往的加拿大医疗系统的一些体验。我相信它们很典型。许多我认识的加拿大人也这么认为。
Experience #1:
体验#1：
In September2000, my wife was seven months pregnant with our youngest daughter. One day, mywife started having severe lower back pain. She suspected kidney stones—she hadthem in the past. But she was very pregnant, so we needed to check it out.Kidney stones are bad, but something going wrong with the pregnancy would be alot worse.
在 2000 年的九月，我老婆怀着我们最小的女儿七个月了。一天，我老婆开始感到强烈的下背疼。她怀疑是肾结石——她过去也得过。但她怀孕很久了，因此我们需要检查一下。肾结石不好，但如果是宝宝出了什么问题，那就更糟了。
We went to theemergency room of our local hospital in Montreal. This was Thursday. She wasadmitted to the hospital and given morphine for her pain. She couldn’t get an ultrasoundthe next day because the machine for this procedure was fully booked.
我们来到蒙特利尔当地医院的急诊室。那是星期四。她住进了医院并注射了吗啡以缓解疼痛。她要等到第二天才能做超声波检查，因为做检查用的机器已经被预约满了。
She didn’t getthe ultrasound during the weekend, either, because ultrasound operators don’twork on weekends. Finally, on Monday afternoon, she got the test—after I beggedher doctor to do something so we could find out if indeed my wife had a kidneystone or something had gone wrong with the pregnancy. Thank God, it was theformer and not the latter.
她也没在那周做成超声波检查，因为超声波操作员周末不工作。终于，在星期一的下午，她做上了检查——我哀求她医生做点什么好让我们知道我老婆到底是得了肾结石还是宝宝出了什么问题。谢天谢地，是前者而不是后者。
In the UnitedStates, a pregnant woman doesn’t wait a day to get an ultrasound if the baby’shealth is in question. And ultrasound technicians are available on theweekend.
在美国，怀疑宝宝的健康有问题，孕妇用不了一天就能做上超声波检查。而且超声波技术员周末也上班。
Experience #2:
体验#2：
One of myfriends struggled with back issues for years. Eventually, he needed surgery.Like all people with non-life-threatening conditions in Canada, he was placedon a waiting list. The pain got so bad, after a few months he went to see thespecialist and pleaded for an operation. The specialist asked, “Are yousuicidal?” My friend responded, “No, I’m not suicidal—I need a back operation!”The specialist concluded, “If you are not suicidal, it means you can handle thepain.” Had my friend waited, his surgery would have been covered. Instead, hewent to Florida and paid $20,000 out of his own pocket to have the surgeryimmediately.
我的一个朋友长年背疼。最终，他需要做手术。就像加拿大所有患有无生命危险疾病的人，他被排上等候名单。疼得太严重了，几个月后他去看了专科医生并恳求做手术。专科医生问：「你想自杀吗？」我朋友回答：「不，我不想自杀——我需要做背部手术！」专科医生的结论是：「如果你不想自杀，意味着你还可以承受疼痛。」如果我朋友等的话，他的手术就可以由保险覆盖。相反，他去到佛罗里达自己掏了两万美元马上接受手术。
In the UnitedStates, if you’re in terrible pain, you can get a back surgery within days.
在美国，如果你疼得不行，不消几天就能接受背部手术。
Experience#3
体验#3：
Several yearsago, I was diagnosed with polyps on my colon. Since I have a family history ofcolon cancer, I was advised to get a colonoscopy every year. I went to see myspecialist in May to set up my next procedure. After a brief consult, he toldme to book the colonoscopy with his secretary on my way out. She told me thatthe doctor could perform the procedure in November. Being used to long waitingtimes, I felt that was rather short, so I said, “Great, that works for me.” Shereplied, “Not this November. Next November.”
几年前，我被诊断出结肠息肉。由于我有结肠癌家族史，我被建议每年做一次结肠镜检查。我在五月份去见了我的专科医生，安排接下来的检查。短暂咨询过后，他让我离开前跟他的秘书预约结肠镜检查。她跟我说医生可以在十一月进行检查。由于习惯了长时间的等待，我觉得这次还挺短的，因此我说：「太好了，我没问题。」她回答说：「不是今年十一月，明年十一月。」
In the UnitedStates, you can get a colonoscopy in a few days, and certainly within a fewweeks.
在美国，你做个结肠镜检查不用等几天，肯定也不用等几个星期。
