Another thing I forgot to mention about healthcare abroad is that the coordination friction is usually substantially less than the US. For example, after testing positive for COVID in Vancouver, after one phone call from me to the BC Services phone number, there was a great deal of coordination they did on their end and had me in the hospital the next day to start my infusion treatments. They had several people call me back that first day to understand my medical condition, current medications and care team in the US, and handled my situation really elegantly despite me being a visitor to BC and an edge case for them. A+ experience with the health system here! (Seeing a price list at the cashiers office at the hospital was also a surprise novelty) This in contrast to the US where the fragmented and opaque system often requires the patient to constantly chase up different parties was a refreshing change, especially as the patient is pretty stressed when going through these situations to begin with!
Another thing I forgot to mention about healthcare abroad is that the coordination friction is usually substantially less than the US. For example, after testing positive for COVID in Vancouver, after one phone call from me to the BC Services phone number, there was a great deal of coordination they did on their end and had me in the hospital the next day to start my infusion treatments. They had several people call me back that first day to understand my medical condition, current medications and care team in the US, and handled my situation really elegantly despite me being a visitor to BC and an edge case for them. A+ experience with the health system here! (Seeing a price list at the cashiers office at the hospital was also a surprise novelty) This in contrast to the US where the fragmented and opaque system often requires the patient to constantly chase up different parties was a refreshing change, especially as the patient is pretty stressed when going through these situations to begin with!