An interesting note on the Canadian healthcare system.
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Why are Republicans picking on the Canadian System
I saw a few clips of US news coverage of this healthcare hoopla and is it me or are Republicans picking on the Canadian healthcare system? Are they doing the same to the British National Health Service? Anyway, here are some facts about the Canadian system:
a) Not really national. Individual provinces (states) administer and fund their systems. If you get hurt and need emergency medical attention from out-of-province, there are cost sharing agreements between provinces to shuffle paperwork back and forth. The federal government administers universal standards (Canada Health Act) that ensures all citizens have access to the same health care. Federal government doesn't directly fund the bulk of it though (except for the Canadian Forces, Federal jurisdiction territories and certain Aboriginal groups that receive services federally).
b) Not socialized. I like your article's distinction between single-payer (Canadian system) and single provider (Soviet Union). Canada basically has a private health care system. There is just only one HMO in each province - the provincial government. Hospitals and doctors still do their billing and plug in their hours and there is bidding for the top brains in the world and hospitals fundraise like crazy to bring in new equipment etc... The Canadian system basically has a single HMO (government) get billed for medical treatment in hospitals and for doctors' time. Non-hospital based medicine (dentists, chiropractors, homeopathic medicine etc...) is not covered by this single HMO billing so you need private healthcare to get coverage for these things (until age 65).
c) Drugs aren't free. The single HMO system - by and large - doesn't cover all drugs all the time. Sure, you're in the hospital and need anti-viral medicine or anesthesia or a tetanus shot you got it. If a doctor in his/her private practice prescribes something that may not be covered by the government so you'll need private health insurance to subsidize the cost of drugs. Sure, Canadian drugs are cheaper than in the US but still, hundreds of dollars for cancer bills is still expensive on either side of the border.
d) Health care isn't about cost - it's about culture. Ok, this isn't the fact based section. This is just my Canadian take on health care in general. Total health spending as a share of GDP in Canada (at 9.8 percent) is comparable to that of Australia (9.5 percent), lower than in France (11.1 percent) and Germany (10.7), and significantly lower than in the U.S. (15.3 percent). When measured against GDP, it appears that increases in the cost of healthcare are not uniquely a Canadian phenomenon, but happening in virtually all healthcare systems. Moreover, these increases are more moderate in Canada. What is driving rising costs are mostly things that are outside the Canadian healthcare system. For instance, expenditures on prescription drugs. Costs to governments has remained remarkably stable for over 20 years. A system of healthcare reflects a culture's values and priorities. A free-market system may be permanently in place in the US - not because it is "cheaper" or more "efficient" but because it reflects the nation's culture of free-market capitalism, individual liberty and simply the American way. That, my American friends, is the biggest hurdle to overcome.
-- hamiltonsteel28
July 21, 2009 06:07 AM
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