[PBzeer]

Sailormann

If you WANTED one, then you would have to go to a private clinic. If you NEEDED one, it is readily available.

So, who decides if I need, or simply want a CAT Scan or MRI as part of my diagnosis? And if it is determined I do need one, how long will it take to recieve this readily available test?

Medically necessary yes - cosmetic no.

I'm trying to figure out how Lasik could be considered anything but cosmetic. Unless of course, we factor in the self-esteem angle and how damaged my self image is because I have to wear glasses. I would assume that contact lenses would be considered cosmetic as well?

Yes.

Again, I have to wonder, how long would it take to recieve this treatment.

If ordered by your doctor and performed in a hospital yes.

I don't know about Canada, but in the US you have to have cortisone injections approved by a doctor. At least, us ordinary mortals do. We don't though, need to go to a hospital to recieve it.

So, let me see if my perception of Canadian healthcare is accurate, as iterated in your replies and other posts. Canadians recieve healthcare superior to that provided in the US, as long it is something the government decides is necessary to be provided? And because medication is subsidized by the government, it is cheaper than in the US, where the majority of them are formulated and discovered, which entails certain capital expenditures by the drug companies, not to mention the inital R & D costs, which Canadians do not have to shoulder due to government subsidy.

One thing I am curious about is, how does one going about recieving a second opinion on a diagnosis?