Mekdim 1 | - Student
Mar 14, 2014 | #1
Abstract
There are many differences between healthcare systems in the United States and Canada. The primary differences revolve around overhead costs for primary care physicians, integrated care for vulnerable populations and healthcare disparities. By looking at the differences between the two one can see that while Canada has made significant efforts to increase the overall efficiency and effectiveness of their healthcare system the United States has been far too focused on satisfying private insurance companies rather than on creating a truly nationalized healthcare system.
Table of Contents
Abstract--------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------pp.2
Introduction----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------pp.4
Literature Review----------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------pp.4
Discussion------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------pp.7
Conclusion------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------pp.8
References------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------pp.9
While Canada is one of our closest neighbors there are significant differences between Canada's healthcare system and the healthcare system in the United States. The most prominent difference is of course the fact that insurance in Canada has been nationalized for several decades whereas; healthcare in the United States is paid for by the citizens of the United States either through health insurance premiums, or out of pocket costs for healthcare. While the Affordable Care Act of 2010 has increased federal responsibility for providing insurance for the uninsured and increased protections for patients it is still a long way from being the type of nationalized care offered in Canada.
The Canadian government spends more annually than the United States and offers a wider range of patient protections. This disparity is primarily related to the power of independent businesses and insurance companies in the United States as well as the reluctance of many Americans to accept what they perceive of as a "welfare state" in which the government is primarily responsible for paying for education, healthcare, and social welfare programs without placing any personal responsibility on the individual.
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to Braveman, Cubbin, Egerter, Williams, and Pamuk (2010) state that one of the most notable aspects of healthcare in the United States is that even in states that offer healthcare programs for the underinsured and uninsured there is a significant disparity between healthcare that is available for White, middle and upper class individuals, and poor individuals, or racial minorities. In an analysis of 2009 healthcare data Braveman et al (2010) discovered that there were significant differences in healthcare assess and health both by race, and by socioeconomic status. These disparities were most noticeable in the African American and Hispanic American populations with middle and upper class African Americans and Hispanic Americans having better healthcare access, better health insurance, and healthier lifestyles than working class and poor African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Weinstein and Skinner (2010) suggest that one of the main problems with healthcare in the United States is that the United States does not measure the cost-effectiveness of healthcare when developing budgets for healthcare funding. Instead they use comparative effectiveness which allows the government to cut back on healthcare spending because measures of comparative effectiveness only look at short term results of healthcare spending rather than looking at long term consequences of healthcare spending. This demonstrates that overall American healthcare is rather ineffective especially when compared to the current Canadian system.
Hutchinson, Levesque, Strumpf, and Coyle (2011) argue that Canadian national healthcare is undergoing a period of transformation or change. While many prior to the 1990s considered the Canadian healthcare system to be rather poor the changes that have been made to the system since then have drastically improved the quality of Canadian healthcare. Many of the changes have taken place in the area of primary healthcare. Hutchinson et al (2011) argue that recent increases in spending in the area of primary healthcare as well as ensuring that patients were enrolled with a primary healthcare provider have improved the quality of primary care as well as increasing patient access to primary care in Canada.
Vedel, Monette, Beland, Monette, and Bergman (2011) also argue that Canadian healthcare has also seen significant improvements in the area of integrated care for the elderly. The last decade have seen improvements specifically in relation to access to long term care, family medicine groups, and network clinics. This has given Canada's most vulnerable populations access to primary care physicians and specialists that they would not have had access to otherwise.
Morra, Nicholson, Levinson, Gans, Hammons, and Casalino (2011) state that one major comparison between Canada and the United States is that costs for physicians in terms of labor, and practice costs are only 27% of what physicians in private practice in the United States spend annually. The primary reason for this is that the payment methods utilized by health plans in the United States demonstrate universally poor quality in terms of administration costs and methods of transmitting payments to physicians. This is ultimately transferred to higher costs for American patients since they spend less on overhead and receive payments in a more efficient and effective manner.
DISCUSSION
The results of the literature review indicate that while the United States has begun to focus on developing a more effective healthcare system they are still focused on making both the people that are demanding nationalized healthcare and the private insurance companies happy. The results have often been ineffective and inefficient in terms of getting healthcare to the patient population. In contrast, Canada has spent considerable time and money in improving their healthcare system over the last two decades which has resulted in a more effective system where patients have better access to both primary care physicians and specialists while greatly reducing overhead costs for medical professionals.
With all these health care issues going on in the United States, some people strongly disagree against the Canadian's health care system. It is obvious that U.S healthcare system have huge differences from that of the Canadian health care system. However, in general why do some Americans have voted against Canadian healthcare and how did they come to form that bias opinion?
Most insured people in US pay for health insurance out of pocket. It requires a large amount of family budget. Yet, the deductible is so high, they find themselves having to pay for everything out of pocket still. Because of the complicated network system, patients cannot find a doctor in their area who is in their network or accepting new patients. Therefore, patients do not get to see a doctor. There has to be a way like Canadian's universal healthcare system that all people get the service.
It is true that, while there are waiting lists in Canadian healthcare facilities, there is no one that die because of wait lists. If People need immediate attention or surgery, they will get it immediately. The other main thing why Canadian healthcare system is better that U.S is because patients are not going to go bankrupt. If anyone become the unlucky one to get cancer or have a serious injury or disease which forces a patient or any member of the family to go under surgery or high cost treatment, bankruptcy is nothing to worry about. Patients can just go into the hospital and not have to worry about a big bill coming their way.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it can be stated that there are significant differences between Canadian and American healthcare. Overall, Canadian healthcare is more efficient and effective. The primary reason for this is that Canadian healthcare is nationally funded and privately administered whereas; in the United States healthcare is privately funded and can be either publically or privately administered which often results in breakdowns in communications and payment systems. The primary recommendation in this case is that the United States either needs to continue maintaining a private insurer/fee for service healthcare system or they need to move completely to a nationalized healthcare model.
References
Braveman, P. A., Cubbin, C., Egerter, S., Williams, D. R., & Pamuk, E. (2010). Socioeconomic disparities in health in the United States: what the patterns tell us. American Journal of Public Health, 100(S1), S186-S196.
Hutchison, B., Levesque, J. F., Strumpf, E., & Coyle, N. (2011). Primary health care in Canada: systems in motion. Milbank Quarterly, 89(2), 256-288.
Morra, D., Nicholson, S., Levinson, W., Gans, D. N., Hammons, T., & Casalino, L. P. (2011). US physician practices versus Canadians: spending nearly four times the money interacting with payers. Health Affairs, 30(8), 1443-1450.
Weinstein, M. C., & Skinner, J. A. (2010). Comparative effectiveness and health care spending-implications for reform. New England Journal of Medicine, 362(5), 4 60-465.
Vedel, I., Monette, M., Beland, F., Monette, J., & Bergman, H. (2011). Ten years of integrated care: backwards and forwards. The case of the province of Québec, Canada. International journal of integrated care, 11(Special 10th Anniversary Edition).
There are many differences between healthcare systems in the United States and Canada. The primary differences revolve around overhead costs for primary care physicians, integrated care for vulnerable populations and healthcare disparities. By looking at the differences between the two one can see that while Canada has made significant efforts to increase the overall efficiency and effectiveness of their healthcare system the United States has been far too focused on satisfying private insurance companies rather than on creating a truly nationalized healthcare system.
Table of Contents
Abstract--------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------pp.2
Introduction----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------pp.4
Literature Review----------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------pp.4
Discussion------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------pp.7
Conclusion------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------pp.8
References------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------pp.9
HEALTHCARE IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
While Canada is one of our closest neighbors there are significant differences between Canada's healthcare system and the healthcare system in the United States. The most prominent difference is of course the fact that insurance in Canada has been nationalized for several decades whereas; healthcare in the United States is paid for by the citizens of the United States either through health insurance premiums, or out of pocket costs for healthcare. While the Affordable Care Act of 2010 has increased federal responsibility for providing insurance for the uninsured and increased protections for patients it is still a long way from being the type of nationalized care offered in Canada.The Canadian government spends more annually than the United States and offers a wider range of patient protections. This disparity is primarily related to the power of independent businesses and insurance companies in the United States as well as the reluctance of many Americans to accept what they perceive of as a "welfare state" in which the government is primarily responsible for paying for education, healthcare, and social welfare programs without placing any personal responsibility on the individual.
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to Braveman, Cubbin, Egerter, Williams, and Pamuk (2010) state that one of the most notable aspects of healthcare in the United States is that even in states that offer healthcare programs for the underinsured and uninsured there is a significant disparity between healthcare that is available for White, middle and upper class individuals, and poor individuals, or racial minorities. In an analysis of 2009 healthcare data Braveman et al (2010) discovered that there were significant differences in healthcare assess and health both by race, and by socioeconomic status. These disparities were most noticeable in the African American and Hispanic American populations with middle and upper class African Americans and Hispanic Americans having better healthcare access, better health insurance, and healthier lifestyles than working class and poor African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Weinstein and Skinner (2010) suggest that one of the main problems with healthcare in the United States is that the United States does not measure the cost-effectiveness of healthcare when developing budgets for healthcare funding. Instead they use comparative effectiveness which allows the government to cut back on healthcare spending because measures of comparative effectiveness only look at short term results of healthcare spending rather than looking at long term consequences of healthcare spending. This demonstrates that overall American healthcare is rather ineffective especially when compared to the current Canadian system.
Hutchinson, Levesque, Strumpf, and Coyle (2011) argue that Canadian national healthcare is undergoing a period of transformation or change. While many prior to the 1990s considered the Canadian healthcare system to be rather poor the changes that have been made to the system since then have drastically improved the quality of Canadian healthcare. Many of the changes have taken place in the area of primary healthcare. Hutchinson et al (2011) argue that recent increases in spending in the area of primary healthcare as well as ensuring that patients were enrolled with a primary healthcare provider have improved the quality of primary care as well as increasing patient access to primary care in Canada.
Vedel, Monette, Beland, Monette, and Bergman (2011) also argue that Canadian healthcare has also seen significant improvements in the area of integrated care for the elderly. The last decade have seen improvements specifically in relation to access to long term care, family medicine groups, and network clinics. This has given Canada's most vulnerable populations access to primary care physicians and specialists that they would not have had access to otherwise.
Morra, Nicholson, Levinson, Gans, Hammons, and Casalino (2011) state that one major comparison between Canada and the United States is that costs for physicians in terms of labor, and practice costs are only 27% of what physicians in private practice in the United States spend annually. The primary reason for this is that the payment methods utilized by health plans in the United States demonstrate universally poor quality in terms of administration costs and methods of transmitting payments to physicians. This is ultimately transferred to higher costs for American patients since they spend less on overhead and receive payments in a more efficient and effective manner.
DISCUSSION
The results of the literature review indicate that while the United States has begun to focus on developing a more effective healthcare system they are still focused on making both the people that are demanding nationalized healthcare and the private insurance companies happy. The results have often been ineffective and inefficient in terms of getting healthcare to the patient population. In contrast, Canada has spent considerable time and money in improving their healthcare system over the last two decades which has resulted in a more effective system where patients have better access to both primary care physicians and specialists while greatly reducing overhead costs for medical professionals.
With all these health care issues going on in the United States, some people strongly disagree against the Canadian's health care system. It is obvious that U.S healthcare system have huge differences from that of the Canadian health care system. However, in general why do some Americans have voted against Canadian healthcare and how did they come to form that bias opinion?
Most insured people in US pay for health insurance out of pocket. It requires a large amount of family budget. Yet, the deductible is so high, they find themselves having to pay for everything out of pocket still. Because of the complicated network system, patients cannot find a doctor in their area who is in their network or accepting new patients. Therefore, patients do not get to see a doctor. There has to be a way like Canadian's universal healthcare system that all people get the service.
It is true that, while there are waiting lists in Canadian healthcare facilities, there is no one that die because of wait lists. If People need immediate attention or surgery, they will get it immediately. The other main thing why Canadian healthcare system is better that U.S is because patients are not going to go bankrupt. If anyone become the unlucky one to get cancer or have a serious injury or disease which forces a patient or any member of the family to go under surgery or high cost treatment, bankruptcy is nothing to worry about. Patients can just go into the hospital and not have to worry about a big bill coming their way.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it can be stated that there are significant differences between Canadian and American healthcare. Overall, Canadian healthcare is more efficient and effective. The primary reason for this is that Canadian healthcare is nationally funded and privately administered whereas; in the United States healthcare is privately funded and can be either publically or privately administered which often results in breakdowns in communications and payment systems. The primary recommendation in this case is that the United States either needs to continue maintaining a private insurer/fee for service healthcare system or they need to move completely to a nationalized healthcare model.
References
Braveman, P. A., Cubbin, C., Egerter, S., Williams, D. R., & Pamuk, E. (2010). Socioeconomic disparities in health in the United States: what the patterns tell us. American Journal of Public Health, 100(S1), S186-S196.
Hutchison, B., Levesque, J. F., Strumpf, E., & Coyle, N. (2011). Primary health care in Canada: systems in motion. Milbank Quarterly, 89(2), 256-288.
Morra, D., Nicholson, S., Levinson, W., Gans, D. N., Hammons, T., & Casalino, L. P. (2011). US physician practices versus Canadians: spending nearly four times the money interacting with payers. Health Affairs, 30(8), 1443-1450.
Weinstein, M. C., & Skinner, J. A. (2010). Comparative effectiveness and health care spending-implications for reform. New England Journal of Medicine, 362(5), 4 60-465.
Vedel, I., Monette, M., Beland, F., Monette, J., & Bergman, H. (2011). Ten years of integrated care: backwards and forwards. The case of the province of Québec, Canada. International journal of integrated care, 11(Special 10th Anniversary Edition).