Mar 29th, 2003, 08:22 AM
U.S. vs Canadian Health Care.....
Canadian and U.S. healthcare : A deeper Comparison
By Walt Byars
The Canadian Healthcare system provides universal coverage,regardless of one's financial background. In the United States,10% of people aren't even covered. Canadian healthcare is cheaper to maintain,with per capita expenditures only $2250,compared to the United States' $4,270.Even though Canada's healthcare system is predominantly publicly funded, taxpayers in the United States still pay more for healthcare than in Canada. Healthcare expenditures make up only 9.3% of the Canadian GDP, and 14% of the U.S. GDP. There,it's settled. The Canadian Healthcare system is superior,and America should adopt it.Case closed,I can quit writing this article and go back to playing Contra,Right? Well,not quite.
The determinants of the cost of the American healthcare industry do not lie in the Nature of the system. So,why is American healthcare so much more expensive? It is obviously not a result of the discrepancies between public and private healthcare funding.The Canada Health Act, which gave Canadians universal coverage was passed in 1984. However, healthcare in the United States has always been more expensive.In 1960, per capita healthcare expenditures in Canada were $600,as compared to $820 in the United States.
American healthcare costs are higher due to an accumulation of many small and big factors. One of the reasons for the higher costs in the United States may be that American women are much more likely to become pregnant and give birth than Canadians. In the United States, there are 14.1 births per 1,000 population in the United States,and only 11 in Canada.Therefore,it is safe to assume that the greater amount of births,not the healthcare system is the reason for the higher amount of money spent on pregnancy in the United States.
Another reason may be the prevalence of Cosmetic surgery in the United States.Every year,there are 6.9 million cosmetic surgeries performed in the United States.Unfortunately,Cosmetic Surgery is not an officially recognized specialty in Canada,so there are no official ststistics for cosmetic surgery.However,due to the low number of surgeons in Canada who perform cosmetic surgery (2,000) it is relatively safe to assume that Cosmetic Surgery is less prevalent there than in the United States.
Indigent Healthcare for drug users makes up a substantial portion of healthcare funding in the United States. Every year, $5,531 billion is spent on drug users,and 13,247
billion is spent on healthcare for alcoholics.An American is over 150% more likely to use drugs that a Canadian.According to the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report by the State Department,there are 1 million drug users in Canada,and 15 million in the United States. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario estimated that there are 486,100 alcoholics in Canada.According to David A. Gershaw PHD,there are between 9 and 10 million alcoholics in the United States.
Medical Research accounts for a substantial portion of Healthcare expenditures. The United States spends $35 billion on Medical Research per year,$13.4 billion was funded by the government.The Canadian Government only spends $460 million.
There are also considerably more surgeries per capita performed in the United States than Canada. Every year,there are 28 million operations performed in the United States (Washington post) about 1 per 10 people. There are less than 1 million surgeries performed each year in Canada.
So,Which Country has better,more efficient healthcare? Well,that is completely inconclusive. What is conclusive,however,is that the discrepancy in healthcare costs in the United States and Canada is not due to favorable funding,and extent of coverage that the government mandates on Canada's part.
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