First few Article Sentences
My thirteen year old son plays competitive ice hockey. He was recently accepted into a school in Kelowna, British Columbia (BC) that helps kids reach their full potential in this sport. We rented a house in Kelowna and my wife and I alternate between our Washington State residence and our Kelowna rental to support our child with his dream.
The metropolitan Kelowna area has a population of 180,000 and is about 90 miles north of the Washington State U.S. border. The median household income is about $50,000, comparable to Spokane, WA.
I’ve had high quality U.S. health insurance for the last thirty years. I currently have a “gold” plan from Regence Blue Shield in Washington State and, although pricey, have been very satisfied with the level of customer service and benefits.
I thought it prudent to establish a relationship with a primary care physician in Kelowna. I’m healthy but take a few medications that could run out while I’m outside of Washington. I also thought it prudent to establish a relationship with a Kelowna pharmacy.
As a former health plan CFO, I’m very familiar with how the U.S. health care system works. I’m not familiar with the Canadian system but am now experiencing it. I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast my experience receiving healthcare in Kelowna versus Kirkland.