It seems that I may be discharged from the hospital this weekend, my IV drip has been removed and the nurses are constantly checking me as well as the lab techs who are taking an obscene amount of blood for analysis. The future is looking rosy.
My Doctor has advised that I will be off work for a month as I have numerous tests still to be done as well as visits to the heart clinic.
My predicament is as follows and is really a warning to all drivers over here especially with families.
I have basically a heart illness and because of this I do not qualify for "Workers Compensation Board" which only covers work related injuries. So lets give you a random scenario that you should all be able to relate to:
Nice and easy, I am getting out of the truck and slip causing my ankle to twist.
I need a few weeks off work as a doctor says I have sprained the ankle. Now is the time to start rubbing your hands together as you qualify for 90% of your wages to be paid to you, plus in my case a hotel would be paid for, plus any additional costs related to the injury. Not bad eh......no worries, cash coming in and the perfect enviroment for a stress free recovery.
Like I said I do not qualify for WCB which is a shame.
I possibly do qualify for employment Insurance. Now get this....remember I now have a chronic illness, its very serious and I may never be at 100% fitness.
At the time of writing this I qualify for a weekly payment of $450 which is subject to tax......dont bother waiting for me to add to this amount because thats it !!!!!!
My hotel bill alone swallows this amount, thats before any travel costs with getting to and from the hospital oe even eating.
So, to all of you married men, individuals with commitments......if you had a small stroke say......could you pay your bills, eat, pay the rent and generally support your family for the indefinite period that you may be ill ?
So the decision I have is do I stay in Canada for my remaining treatment which will financially hit me hard or do I fly home and get treatment where I am around family and living in a stress free enviroment ?
And just one more thing, this is aimed at people who are employed at the same company as me .......I have never been insured by Alberta Health Care since arriving in Canada. The health care system required more information when my application was submitted and contacted my employer who according to Alberta Health Care ignored the request. I dread to think what would of happened had my hospital visit been in the USA, especially the cost. Trust me, it was bad enough laying on a stretcher waiting for the Surgeons to decide if they were going to give me the Angiogram when I was at Calgary, especially when you have a weak heart to begin with !!!!!!!!!!!!
17 comments:
If you stay in canada, will you be able to continue driving trucks? If you can't, is there any point in staying? Like you said, you have some tough decisions to make, and I'm glad I don't have to make them - But I do know one thing...illness and loneliness are a terrible combination. I think, for the sake of your recovery, you should head home to your family.
Get home by tuesday, and you can come to my wedding...INSTEAD OF ME!!!
Whatever you decide to do, take it easy, and be assured of my very best wishes.
Ian
If you would have been in the states you would have gotten the best care bar none and a very very shockingly large bill. Your lucky that you even qualify for the 450 weekly stipend. Here unless you have private disability insurance you would get nothing to love on. zilch, notta, nothing I am trying to say. You have to be out of work for 2 years before you can even apply for a disability payment. Many people with cancer die before ever seeing a dime. Not many truck drivers have good insurance and many have none. God bless the USA.
so do you think its best not to say if you had any illness in the past then like your illness or cancer or anytin, ps hope you get well,,,
Phil,
Firstly, I was away and was slow to hear about your situation. By the time I caught up, you were on the mend, which is good to hear.
Take it easy and focus on the recovery; everything else is secondary until you are fit again!
On that note, I'd recommend getting yourself home to Blighty for some stress free recovery time with, as you said, your family to assist you if needed.
Good luck mate, and remember, take it easy.
M.
Glad to hear your on the mend Phil, although with the worry of how your going to afford to live it's a suprise you dont have a heart attack!!!!
Glad to see H&R supporting you with the health insurance!!NOT.
Think the old nhs might be a good bet for you fella.
Best wishes fella hope you get sorted soon.
Yorkshire TipperDriver.Roland.
Hi Ian, thanks for the offer of taking your place at the alter but I think I might have a relapse that day.
I intend to go home for a month or so and then return to canada providing I am fit to drive of course. it makes too much sense not to go home in reality.
Good luck and best wishes again for your big day.
cheers,Phil
Hi Jim I once saw a movie called sicko which exposed the american health system....shocking.
I was lucky this happened in Canada as you say I would not of been able to afford the bills, mind you an air ambulance to Calgary wont come cheap.
Hope all is well with you,
cheers, Phil
Hi Anon, not quite sure what you are trying to get at.
The WCB will not cover you if you have an illness...its purely 'accident' at work related and any previous ailments are not relevant.
The Employee Insurance covers most other things including loss of job, sickness and to be honest is not worth the paper its written on.
Personally I would disclose all past medical conditions to whoever asks for it, the consequences could be drastic if insurance policies became void because not everything had been disclosed on the initial applications.
Its treading in very dangerous water.
Thanks for the best wishes, Phil
Hi Martin and Roland, good to hear from you both again.
I think the UK is where I will be in a week or so, it makes so much sense and its the obvious financial thing to do.
Thanks for the best wishes, they are very much appreciated.
Cheers,Phil
Hi Phil, if you were in the UK, you could insist that it was stress related CAUSED by the type of work...ie unstable hours etc...so, is it not the same case in Canada?
Either way, get well soon, and if you get back over here we will pay you a visit and increase your stress levels lol.
Trkrjim is right about healthcare in the USA...and they are fighting OBAMA against a new social healthcare system as they say anyone over 65 will be left to die like the UK system!, yes I've had e-mails telling me that.
PS Don't forget some nurse pictures for the lads.
Hey Pal
just caught up on your blog.
all the best mate hope things work out and ur back real soon..
Steve
Hi Phil,
I feel you're doing the right thing coming home in the big scheme of things.
What has your employer said over their oversight? Seems to me they've dropped a major bollock. Has the LMO contract got anything in it regarding your situation? From what I can see virtually all the companies ignore parts of it.
Hi Phil, I know you have had a great shock, and thankfully you are in a position to ride this out (as a single man) until you are back to a good level of fitness, but as you write, it could have been absoloutley devastating for a family who had moved over 'lock stock and barrel' and was still on the PNP as a TFW in Canada.
We will try and get oop north and have a pint for you when you get back, unless something is sorted out financially over there (maybe you could twist your ankle in Foders office).
Hi phil sorry for being a Dumbass but does that mean the money we pay out of are wages is for nothing and the health cover we are surposed to have with our contract is useless Mike
Hi mike, I dont think the healthcare we are supposed to have is useless, probably far from it. I think that its possibly the most basic that you can have and I would reccomend looking into maybe topping it up with something private.
Hi Mick, I asked the doctor about the relation to stress and he disregarded it, was worth asking as it would of meant that work had caused the illness so it would of been happy days. as it is I think I will be home next week, once I have sorted a few things out over here first.
Hi Steve, thanks for the good wishes, I am on the mend and feel great in myself..its only machines that tell me I am ill, haha
Hi Alan I agree totally and believe that the company has broken the contract I signed, I intend to pursue this matter with them, wether this makes any diffence or not is a different matter.
Mick, you are 100% right, devastating is the right word to use, especially if as a family you are struggling before any incident happens.
Thanks to all of you for your comments.
Health insurance
If you are employing temporary foreign workers with lower levels of formal
training, you are responsible to provide health insurance at no cost until
the worker is eligible for provincial health insurance. Foreign workers with a
work permit valid for 12 months or more are eligible to apply for immediate
Alberta Health Care coverage.
Happy Birthday mate, hope you are doing OK.
Take care,
Cath and Mick
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