American Vs Canadian HealthCare; The health care system refers to a combination of resources, institutions, and people
to deliver health services to a target population. Different nations in the world use different
health care systems depending on the resources at their disposal and the needs of their people.
Although the health care systems differ greatly between countries, all the systems have one
main goal and that is to provide primary health care. The planning of health care systems in
some countries is distributed among all the players in the market. In other countries planning
is done by governments, religious institutions, trade unions, and charitable organizations. The
health care system of a particular country reflects the culture, history, and the economic state
of that country. The health care providers include doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and
therapists to mention a few. This paper aims to compare the system of care in America to that
of Canada.
The health care system of the United States
America is among the few developed countries without universal health care (Gillick,
2017). According to Martin et al. (2016), 64 percent of health spending in America was paid
by the government in the 2013 financial year. The United States financed health care through
programs such as Veterans Health Administration, Medicare, Children's Health Insurance,
and Medicaid (Martin et al., 2016). Residents of America pay a monthly health insurance fee
to ensure that they are covered. Although America’s health care system is the most
expensive, it is considered as one of the least effective in the world. The majority of health
care facilities in the U.S. are owned by the private sector at 79 percent while the government
only owns 21 percent (Tumialan, 2019). The rate of uninsured Americans by the fourth
quarter of 2018 was 13.7 percent.
Canada’s health system

Canada is among the few countries that have universal health coverage in the world.
Health care in Canada is guided by the Canada Health Act of 1984. The Canadian Medicaid
which is publicly funded provides coverage to approximately 70 percent of Canadian
resident’s health care needs and the remaining 30 percent is paid for by the private sector
(Widdifield et al., 2020). Between 65 to 57 percent of Canadians have some form of health
insurance and receive it either through their employers or social service programs. Matteo, &
Cantarero-Prieto(2018) provides that the health spending of Canada in 2017 was $242 billion
which was 11.5 percent of the country's GDP that year. Provinces in Canada provide partial
cover for children, people living in extreme poverty, and the elderly.
Comparison between the health system of America and Canada
There are four key differences between the health care system of the U.S. and the
health care system of Canada. The differences are in the health insurance coverage, roles
played by private industry and competition, and types of care covered by health insurance. It
is important t note that each of the systems has its benefits as well as disadvantages.
Both the United States and Canada provide primary health to their citizens through
insurance covers. The difference comes in how health insurance is funded. In the United
States, for instance, individuals are expected to pay their health care insurance (BerchicK,
Hood, & Barnett, 2018). The only exemption is for people in a particular income, the elderly,
and individuals living with disability. The three groups of people are covered through
government-funded programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and the Veteran Health
Administration. Health care cover for employees is often provided by their employers
although the benefits vary from one employer to the other. On the contrary, the health
insurance coverage in Canada is fully funded by the federal government under the Canada
Health Act of 1984 (Martin et al., 2018). This means all Canadian residents can access health care regardless of their level of income. America employs a multi-payer health care system while Canada uses a single-payer system. American Vs Canadian HealthCare;

The private sector in America plays an active role in health. The private sector
provides both health care services to individuals as well as health insurance services. The
majority of hospitals are owned and run by private enterprises (BerchicK, Hood, & Barnett,
2018). The private enterprises compete for customers though costs, quality, or medical
specialty. In Canada, health care services are provided by private providers. The private
providers are, however, not paid through the private insurers but by the government health
insurance (Martin et al., 2018). This means that private enterprises do not compete for
customers in Canada like in the United States.
The health insurance in the United States depends on the type of policy an individual
can afford. According to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, Americans
must take an insurance cover that caters for essential health services either through their
employers or private insurance (BerchicK, Hood, & Barnett, 2018). The essential health
services that must be insured include maternity, mental health, emergency services,
prescription drugs, laboratory services, and newborn care among others. In Canada,
however, the universal health care provides coverage to all citizens. The coverage is,
however, limited to services provided by hospitals. The provinces in Canada can provide
coverage for services that are not found in Canadian hospitals (Martin et al., 2018). Services
covered by province insurance include home care, prescriptions, dental care, and vision care. Read more
Effectiveness of the American Health System
The American health system is privately governed, is affordable, and is technology-
centered. The U.S. health care system is not governed by a central agency as it is privately
owned. This ensures that it is less complex and allows individuals to choose their most preferred. According to WHO (2017), the American health care system has the most
developed equipment and the most skilled health professionals. The technological
advancement in the American health system has made the diagnosis and treatment of
illnesses easier and safe. The establishment of the Affordable Care Act in the year 2010
ensured that all Americans can access health care because it brought about affordability in
health care (Hu et al., 2018). Today many Americans have a health insurance cover courtesy
of the ACA. American Vs Canadian HealthCare
Effectiveness of the Canadian Health System
Unlike in the United States, the health care of Canada provides cover for the basic
health needs of all its citizens. The access to health care services in Canada is not restricted
like in the United States but open to all individuals with health needs (BerchicK, Hood, &
Barnett, 2018). Through the intervention of the federal government, the pharmaceutical
companies sell drugs at affordable prices. Individuals who need emergency health attention
mostly the seniors are given priority in Canada. The health care system of Canada offers
programs that are aimed at preventing injuries to its citizens (BerchicK, Hood, & Barnett,
2018). The programs have contributed to the healthy state of the Canadian population.
Seniors in Canada enjoy quality health care at no cost whether in their homes or senior
centers.
Disadvantages of the American health care system compared to the Canadian health
system. Order

American health care is ranked as the most expensive in the whole world yet the least
effective compared to the Canadian health care system (Matthew, 2018). The cost of
accessing health in Canada is low but offers more services. Due to the universal coverage
care in Canada, the life expectancy in the country is by far longer compared to that of America. In America, individuals must pay a monthly fee to access essential health care services while essentials services are funded by the federal government in Canada (Matthew, 2018). While Americans living in the rural poor cannot access quality health care, all Canadians access the same quality of care regardless of where they live.
In conclusion, although different countries in the world have different health care
systems, they all have a common goal, to facilitate access to care to their citizens. Unlike
many other developed countries, the U.S. does not provide universal health care to its
citizens. The majority of health care facilities in the U.S. are owned by private enterprise. The
Canada Health Act of 1984 ensures that all Canadian residents can access essential health
care funded by the federal government. The major differences between the health care
systems of America and Canada stem from the funding of health insurance, the role played by
private industry, and types of care covered by health insurance. The health care system in
Canada is more effective compared to that of America. American Vs Canadian HealthCare