HealthCare and 'Insurance' -- U.S. & Canada Comparisons

HealthCare and 'Insurance' -- U.S. & Canada Comparisons

With all the recent fervor over ObamaCare and whether or not it will stand,
we need to compare the U.S. systems with other countries' systems.

Canada is a good starting point IMO.

What are the differences and what are the similarities ?

What parts of the Canadian system (or any other country's) would or could "work" in the U.S. ?

Many people think that the current system, whether or not it will be ObamaCare or not,
believe that the U.S. will somehow default to a "Socialist" style system simply by default,
and that might actually be the long range plan !

This is possible, with all the unemployment and part time jobs these days.
(People in either category are most likely "uninsured" already, and will soon be unable to buy insurance, regardless of "the system")


Some links about the Canadian system:

Canada's health care system is 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, within guidelines set by the federal government.

Under the health care system, individual citizens are provided preventative care and medical treatments from primary care physicians as well as access to hospitals, dental surgery and additional medical services. With a few exceptions, all citizens qualify for health coverage regardless of medical history, personal income, or standard of living.
Canadian Healthcare

In discussions of health care reform, the Canadian system is often held up as a possible model for the U.S. The two countries' health care systems are very different-Canada has a single-payer, mostly publicly-funded system, while the U.S. has a multi-payer, heavily private system-but the countries appear to be culturally similar, suggesting that it might be possible for the U.S. to adopt the Canadian system.

Much of the appeal of the Canadian system is that it seems to do more for less. Canada provides universal access to health care for its citizens, while nearly one in five non-elderly Americans is uninsured. Canada spends far less of its GDP on health care (10.4 percent, ver-sus 16 percent in the U.S.) yet performs better than the U.S. on two commonly cited health outcome measures, the infant mortality rate and life expectancy.

In "Health Status, Health Care, and Inequality: Canada vs. the U.S.," (NBER Working Paper 13429) June O'Neill and Dave M. O'Neill take a closer look at the performance of the U.S. and Canadian health care systems. The authors examine whether the Canadian system delivers better health outcomes and distributes health resources more equitably than the U.S. system.
Comparing the U.S. and Canadian Health Care Systems

Any healthcare system should really aim to keep the tax payer as healthy as possible so they can pay more taxes as was the aim with the NHS in the UK but unfortunately they discovered that big pharma wanted in on the pay check and so we entered the realm of expensive meds so while you dont think you are paying for your medications the taxes you pay are doing the job

My Situation being Canadian?

I pay $30 per Month and can walk into any hospital or clinic across Canada and never be refused. If I need an operation, it's covered. If I have an emergency, it's covered. I add my wife to my plan for $30 per Month and she gets the same. If we have a child in the hospital, it's covered.

That's all I know but it's always been good enough for me and my family. I couldn't imagine paying thousands of dollars per year "just in case" I needed it.

I don't know what the answer for the US is but I do know that Obamacare is for the rich and the recipients of the money itself. I truly hope that something can be done for the average person with a program that is fair, affordable and accessible to all who need it.

Peace

Originally posted by jude11
My Situation being Canadian?

I pay $30 per Month and can walk into any hospital or clinic across Canada and never be refused. If I need an operation, it's covered. If I have an emergency, it's covered. I add my wife to my plan for $30 per Month and she gets the same. If we have a child in the hospital, it's covered.

That's all I know but it's always been good enough for me and my family. I couldn't imagine paying thousands of dollars per year "just in case" I needed it.

I don't know what the answer for the US is but I do know that Obamacare is for the rich and the recipients of the money itself. I truly hope that something can be done for the average person with a program that is fair, affordable and accessible to all who need it.

Peace

edit on 28-3-2012 by jude11 because: (no reason given)

Thanks for that info !

Is that an "insurance" policy paid to a company ?

Or do you guys have a deduction of some kind ?

Like from a paycheck.

reply to post by jude11


Thats Great! Is it really just 30.00 a month? Is that amount per person? Does that include Dental? I work in Healthcare and it cost me 300.00 a month to cover me and my 17 year old child. I cannot afford the Dentist..it would cost me 100.00 a year plus whatever the leftover cost that my insurance want pay. For example, I need 5 teeth filled and my Dentist charges 600.00 to fill one tooth. I have to pay 20% that my insurance will not cover for a filling. I use to have insurance that would cover fillings 100%. I am running around with temp dentech filling from Walmart. I dont understand why they dont include the Dental with the Health. I only make 10.24 cents an hour so the 300.00 a month is hurting me. I take care of sick people everyday and cant even afford to use the insurance that I have. Healthcare is horrible in the USA! Maybe we can learn from Canada.

Originally posted by Maxatoria
Any healthcare system should really aim to keep the tax payer as healthy as possible so they can pay more taxes as was the aim with the NHS in the UK but unfortunately they discovered that big pharma wanted in on the pay check and so we entered the realm of expensive meds so while you dont think you are paying for your medications the taxes you pay are doing the job

Thanks for sharing.

Do people in the U.K. pay from taxes ?

Like payroll deductions ?

First of all, the two nations are very different, in critical ways.

Canada has a population of 34 million.
The United States has a population of 300 million.

The median age in Canada is 41 years
The median age in the US is 37 years

Population growth rate in US: 0.96%
population growth rate in Canada: 0.79%

While the last two demographics may not seem like a big deal, they show the direction of stress for both economies, and for both health care industries.

The fact that the US has a younger female population (and the female population averages almost 5 years, a big deal demographically) means that the US must spend a larger portion on childbirth care, the most expensive part of a woman's life.

I cannot find numbers for illegal immigration into Canada (perhaps it's a non-issue, there). The US has between 12 and 40 million persons, who have no insurance at all, and won't be paying into the system under Obamacare, either.

So, different statistics--different needs.

EDIT TO ADD: I found these numbers on indexmundi.com

Originally posted by Apollo7
reply to post by jude11

 

Thats Great! Is it really just 30.00 a month? Is that amount per person? Does that include Dental? I work in Healthcare and it cost me 300.00 a month to cover me and my 17 year old child. I cannot afford the Dentist..it would cost me 100.00 a year plus whatever the leftover cost that my insurance want pay. For example, I need 5 teeth filled and my Dentist charges 600.00 to fill one tooth. I have to pay 20% that my insurance will not cover for a filling. I use to have insurance that would cover fillings 100%. I am running around with temp dentech filling from Walmart. I dont understand why they dont include the Dental with the Health. I only make 10.24 cents an hour so the 300.00 a month is hurting me. I take care of sick people everyday and cant even afford to use the insurance that I have. Healthcare is horrible in the USA! Maybe we can learn from Canada.

Good point !!

And the dental/eyeglasses problem is a big issue !!


Here in the U.S.....

We have separate insurance for dental and eye care.

And the "co-pays" are high, only amounting to a small discount.

And, you usually need the cash or it's a no go !!

But there are loan arrangements available, but always at very high interest rates !!

Dental and eye care are NOT included with the main line "health" insurance.

How does it work in Canada and the U.K. ?