O Canada

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

As several of my blog readers are American, I wanted to share some things I like about Canada, my life here, and some thoughts about health care (since people often ask me about that). Today is Canada Day, similar to Independence Day in the U.S.
First of all, living here has given me an appreciation for my roots AND for Stan's.
I am the first to admit that I grew up a prideful American, believing the U.S. was the only place to be and that it was the best place to be. Thanks to some very loving Canadians and my experiences here, I can proudly say that Canada is a great place to live! (Don't laugh you Americans). You don't know it until you experience it but take advice from someone who has been where you are and try to open your eyes a little. The two countries are similar in lots of ways. As far as everyday living, it feels the same. Gas is more expensive though, and groceries!! I've been here long enough(5 years) that the lingo that I once thought strange, sounds normal and I have to think about the fact that Brynn is going into 1st grade (They say Grade 1 here.)
I'm grateful that my children will all be dual citizens and have the choice to live or go to school either country with ease. Happy Canada Day!

This is from Wikipedia. Health care in Canada is funded and delivered through a publicly funded health care system, with most services provided by private entities.^[1] While the Canadian government calls it a "public system,^[2][3] it is not "socialized medicine".

Health care spending in Canada is projected to reach $160 billion, or 10.6% of GDP, in 2007. This is slightly above the average for OECD countries. In Canada, the various levels of government pay for about 70% of Canadians' health care costs, which is slightly below the OECD average. Under the terms of the Canada Health Act, the publicly-funded insurance plans are required to pay for medically necessary care, but only if it is delivered in hospitals or by physicians. There is considerable variation across the provinces/territories as to the extent to which such costs as outpatient prescription drugs, physical therapy, long-term care, home care, dental care and even ambulance services are covered.^[4]

Considerable attention has been focused on two issues: wait times and health human resources. There is also debate about the appropriate 'public-private mix' for both financing and delivering services.

Also from Wikipedia is a comparison between US and Canadian systems, if you are interested. (I also did a research paper on this very subjects 4 years ago).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_and_American_health_care_systems_compared