Comparison of United States and Canada’s Healthcare System
Introduction
Healthcare systems in different countries are wildly different from one another. Over time, every nation has developed its special sauce of legislation, service delivery mechanisms, and finance structures to best utilize its limited resources. Many different strategies are used, even among high-income countries that can afford to invest more in health care. Access to care, patient satisfaction, and population health are all impacted by these decisions (Menear et al., 2019). This comparison is especially important now when global health threats like the COVID-19 pandemic put health care and public health institutions to an unprecedented test (Menear et al., 2019). Infection and illness prevention and control efforts have had wildly varying degrees of success. This paper compares the healthcare systems of the United States of America and Canada to learn more about the factors that contribute to high-performing systems in both countries. We use recent data to make our comparisons. The report also provides an analysis and description of the healthcare systems in each country, as well as a look into the issues and challenges those healthcare systems face and the steps being taken to address them.
Structure and Organization of the United States of America Healthcare System
The healthcare system in the United States (US) is one of the most intricate in the world, with a web of connections between medical professionals, insurance companies, and those who seek treatment. The healthcare system in the United States is always developing and changing. The United States healthcare system is best described as a hybrid since it combines publicly funded programs like Medicare and Medicaid with privately funded market coverage (Buntin, 2021). Healthcare is mostly financed and delivered through individual out-of-pocket spending and commercial insurance. Buntin (2021) estimates that in 2019 roughly half of Americans had access to private insurance through their employers (group insurance), 6% had access to private protection through health insurance marketplaces (nongroup insurance), 20% relied on Medicaid, 14% relied on Medicare, and 1% had access to other public types of insurance, leaving 9% of Americans without health insurance.
Structure and Organization of Canada’s Healthcare System
The Canadian Constitution lays forth the basic framework for the structure of the Canadian health care system, including the division of power between the federal and provincial/territorial levels of government. Health care in Canada is supported by the federal government. Most medical care received in a hospital or from a family doctor’s office is paid for by the government (Government of Canada 2019). As reported by NCBI, it is against the law in Canada for private coverage to pay for services that are already paid for by public insurance. According to the Canadian government (2019), the Canadian healthcare system is a “single-payer” system. The Canada Health Act of 1984 is largely credited with creating Canada’s current healthcare system. Insurance is provided by the government, however, hospitals and doctors are not directly employed by the government.
However, in Canada, providers work for private companies rather than the government (Ross University 2021). Independent physicians are nonetheless subject to the regulations set forth by their respective insurance companies. Canadians have the option of purchasing private health insurance to cover the costs of some medical procedures. Government health care plans do not pay for cosmetic procedures or dental care. Some coverage variations exist across the Canadian provinces, which are roughly analogous to the American states. Patient payment at the time of service is a fundamental distinction between healthcare in Canada and the US (Regis Collage, 2018). The Government of Canada website also notes that while most Canadians pay for healthcare through taxes, wealthier earnings are subject to a higher tax rate. This has the practical effect of increasing healthcare costs for high earnings relative to low earners. Canada’s lower per capita costs can be attributed, in part, to the government’s stronger hand at the bargaining table. The Canadian government, for instance, can bargain for lower prescription prices with manufacturers than private insurance ever could.
Health Issues and Challenges Faced by the United States of America
The United States has made strides in healthcare and customer service experience during the past decade. However, according to a recent survey, only 7% of Americans are happy with the healthcare system as it stands right now (Smith-Bindman et al., 2019). Six in ten Americans of
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