Universal Healthcare in Canada vs. US Healthcare Systems
The Canadian health care system has been frequently cited as a possible model for the United States during debates on health care reform. Though the two countries have very different systems, they can often be most easily differentiated through their funding. Canada has a single-payer healthcare system funded by their federal government which is given to all Canadian citizens. On the other hand, the United States has a multi-payer system that has specific programs offered to citizens in different situations. Since these different systems are heavily debated in politics it’s difficult to find a clear answer to which one is more fruitful for the citizens. To find this answer it’s important to compare how much each individual citizen is paying for healthcare, and what their benefits are.
The Canadian healthcare system is paid by the Canadian Federal Government, hence the name single payer, and it’s given to all Canadian citizens. This program funds the provinces and territories who are required to give care and fulfill the Canada Health Act (CHA) requirements. They insure inpatient and outpatient hospital care; the necessary medical care for maintaining health; disease prevention and diagnosis as well as treatment of injuries, illnesses, and disabilities; and more. There are other benefits as well that some provinces and territories may offer such as ambulance, geriatric, children’s, or rehabilitation services; prescription drug coverage; or dental, chiropractic, or vision care. These benefits, though, do not transfer over province or territory lines so essentially in one province or territory where one benefit is offered, a neighboring province or territory will require its citizens to pay out of pocket.
On the other hand, the United States healthcare system consists of programs specific to people with different needs. Some such programs are the Medicare system which covers citizens aged 65 and over, programs for children or low-income as well as unemployed people, and programs for veterans. An additional problem faced in America is the healthcare access and quality that is dependent on race, income, ethnicity, and level of education. Though there are funds given to programs and organizations to diminish this gap, it is still a prevailing issue that affects many Americans.
The difference with the most impact on citizens, however, is the cost difference between healthcare in America versus Canada. In 2021, National health expenditures in the U.S. were $4.3 trillion, or $12,914 per person according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In contrast, Canadian medicare was expected to surpass $250 billion USD in 2022, which was about $6,500 per person, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). This not only demonstrates a huge increase American citizens pay in comparison to Canadian citizens, but this gap only increases when taken into account the significant unexpected or sudden costs. American patients will be burdened with high out-of-pocket costs for urgent care or other factors out of their control which is one of the causes for the US healthcare system being the nation’s leading cause of non-business bankruptcy. This cost is also a huge contributing factor as to why almost half of Americans have skipped or delayed care. This is a harsh contrast to Canada in which all permanent residents and Canadian citizens receive necessary physician and hospital services that are free at the point of use.
By Brianna Keaveny