User 314839

Will Detroit's Loss Be Japan's Gain?

Government and private health and public policy analysts have compared the health care systems of Canada and the United States.The U.S. spends much more on health care than Canada, both on a per-capita basis and as a percentage of GDP.In 2006, per-capita spending for health care in the U.S. was US$6,714; in Canada, US$3,678. The U.S. spent 15.3% of GDP on health care in that year; Canada spent 10.0%.In 2006, almost 70% of health care spending in Canada was financed by government, versus 44.7% in the United States. Total government spending per capita in the U.S. on health care was 23% higher than Canadian government spending, and U.S. government expenditure on health care was just under 83% of total Canadian spending (public and private). That's the difference between a for profit healthcare system and one that is there for the people, rather than charging unrealistic fees for it's service like the US model.

Studies have come to different conclusions about the result of this disparity in spending. A 2007 review of all studies comparing health outcomes in Canada and the U.S., in a Canadian peer-reviewed medical journal, found that "health outcomes may be superior in patients cared for in Canada versus the United States, but differences are not consistent." Life expectancy is longer in Canada, and its infant mortality rate is lower than that of the U.S. One commonly cited comparison, the World Health Organization's ratings of "overall health service performance", published in 2000, which used a "composite measure of achievement in the level of health, the distribution of health, the level of responsiveness and fairness of financial contribution", ranked Canada 30th and the U.S. 37th among 191 member nations. The average life expectancy for Canada was rated 12th at 72.0 years compared with 24th for the U.S. at 70.0 years.

The health care system in Canada is funded by a mix of public (70%) and private (30%) funding, with most services delivered by private (both for-profit and not-for-profit) providers.

Through all entities in its public-private system, the U.S. spends more per capita than any other nation in the world, but is the only wealthy industrialized country in the world that lacks some form of universal health care. The US model is everyman for him or herself, in Canada we may pay more in tax for things such as gas, but I'd rather pay an extra $15.00 a fill rather than go broke if I get sick. Think about it, no wonder there are so many people telling you that universal healthcare is bad, those are the people that would loose their gravy train if the system was set up for the people and not healthcare insurance companies and a medical system that charges rediculous fee's for it's services.