A Comparison of Healthcare in Canada and the United States

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Canada’s healthcare system started in 1946 and is made up of a group of socialized health insurance plans that provides coverage to all Canadian citizens. It is publicly funded and administered on a provincial or territorial basis with in the rules set by their federal government. Since the late 1960’s Canada essential has had a universal health insurance system covering all services provided by physicians and hospitals. In 1966 Lester B Pearson’s government subsequently expanded a policy of the universal healthcare with the medical care act. Canada’s healthcare system is the subject of political controversy and debate in the country. While healthcare in America began in the late 1800’s but was truly born in 1929 when Justin Kimball introduced low cost healthcare to teachers in Dallas. Healthcare in the US is mostly privately funded but we do have a few publicly funded entities, such as Medicare and Medicaid.

By 1971, all Canadians were guaranteed access important medical services regardless of income, employment, or health. Canada has one of the highest life expectancies and he lowest infant mortality rates of industrialized countries, which many attribute to Canada’s health care system. In 1984, the Canada Health Act was passed. This act added provisions that prohibited extra billing and user fees for covered services. To support the ten year plan, the federal government increased health care to the Canada Health Transfer from 2006-2007 until 2013-2014 to provide growth in federal funding. On the other end the United states private for profit insurers based our premiums on age, gender, health status, and pre-existing conditions only covering the healthiest people and avoiding the sickest individuals which in turn e...

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... a lot of criticism about the wait times; some have been known to wait in the emergency room for four hours. Although on the other hand, there is an upside to having to wait. By prioritizing the high risk patients verses the lower risk patients, help to eliminate patient mortality rates. The government has since stepped in to help alleviate the long wait times. Unfortunately, the wait times on average are just as bad, if not worse here in the states, with one important difference. In Canada no one gets turned away, while in the states, if you do not have the proper documentation according to your plan, you may end up waiting double the amount of time.

Works Cited

• G.G. Frasier, “An Audit of Surgical Waiting List,” New Zealand Medical Journal (1991)

• www.snopes.com

• www.canadianhealthcare.org

• www.hc-sc.ca

• www.huffingtonpost.com

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