Canadian Health Care System versus Obamacare - Essay Example

? Canadian Health Care System versus "Obamacare" number number submitted Canadian Health Care System versus "Obamacare" Introduction Every country depends on a healthy population for its economic, social and political development. Different countries have their own unique healthcare systems, each with its set of pros and cons. Many countries including the United States of America and Canada seek to provide affordable healthcare services to their nationals. Even as this remains a core goal for the countries, resource limitations are a major constraint that they each have to contend with. This paper will discuss the American health care system comparing it with the Canadian healthcare system. The American Healthcare System In its current form, the American healthcare system has been christened Obamacare, after the current U.S. president who has greatly worked to reform the country’s healthcare sector. Obama Care, is also known as the U.S. Health Care Reform, the legal framework for the program being based on the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act of 2010. In the U.S. different district organizations provide healthcare services to the nationals. A large share of the healthcare facilities in the country are owned and operated by private organizations (Lebrun & Dubay, 2010). Most of the workers in the public sector are covered by government sponsored health insurance. Most people working in the private sector subscribe to self sponsored insurance policies. With a huge workforce and population, the U.S. government relies on Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans Health Administration, Children's Health Insurance, and TRICARE to provide insurance and healthcare to nationals. Obamacare demands that preventative services are covered by all insurance plans, and that no insurance company drops a person when they get sick (Lebrun & Dubay, 2010). The program is aimed at ensuring that all U.S. citizens receive affordable (not more than 8% of yearly income) health insurance. The program seeks to ensure that more people access healthcare by providing discounts on federal and state sponsored health insurance exchanges (Obama Care Facts, 2013). It also aims at ensuring that government spending on health is reduced to reasonable levels. It also cushions consumers from healthcare rationing that has been practiced for long by insurance companies. Obama Care also seeks to improve the quality of care that nationals receive by ensuring that better wellness and preventative services are provided to them (Obama Care Facts, 2013). The Canadian Healthcare System The Canadian healthcare system is guided by the Canadian Health Act that was instituted in 1984 (Esmail & Walker, 2005). The healthcare system in Canada is funded by the public, the federal government ensuring that the quality of care that patients receive is up to recommended standards. The healthcare system is mainly funded by revenues received from income taxes according to Esmail and Walker (2005). The healthcare services are provided mainly by private organizations at no cost at the point of service. Mostly, the healthcare system relies to a very limited level on private insurance. The country’s Medicare systems are simply designed to the extent that they are effective in terms of cost. With respect to the Canadian healthcare system, the federal government plays no part in the daily administration of healthcare and collects no information about patients (Nair, Karim & Nyers, 1992). This means that the patient’s health is confidential to the patient and their care providers (doctors and nurses). With regard to billing and payment of claims, the physicians are charged with the responsibility of making claims to the insurer on behalf of the patient for the services that they receive. The patients are not subject to extra charges for the essential services that they receive. Mostly, the physicians do not receive monthly services but are paid per visit. The physicians are subject to receive reasonable wages for the services that they offer. Every person who subscribes to a program with the Provincial Ministry of Health is issued with a card. While vision and dental care may not be covered by the Provincial Ministry of Health in certain jurisdictions, all the other basic care services are included in the programs. On the other hand, some forms of elective surgeries and cosmetic surgery are deemed to be non-essential and are therefore not covered by the public sponsored programs. Such services are therefore privately funded or paid for by private insurers. The pharmaceutical drugs meant for the elderly or poor are paid for through public funds. Although the programs cover most of the essential care needs of patients, they have the option of subscribing to supplemental plans especially if they need additional services such as private rooms in hospitals (Nair, Karim & Nyers, 1992). Under the public programs, every patient is treated equally with no preference or bias. In other words, there is no discrimination in the provision of healthcare services. A patient retains the right to choose their family doctor (general practitioner) who may refer them to a specialist in case of need (Shah, 2003). The patient may seek the services of a specialist if they feel that their condition needs special attention. Furthermore, when an individual changes or loses their job, their health coverage is subject to no change. Closely related to this is the fact that in the Canadian healthcare system, when one fails to pay premiums, they are not denied healthcare much as there exist no exclusions or limits to the conditions set by the Provincial Ministry of Health. In a bid to ensure that the cost of care remains low and the percentage of revenues that are dedicated to healthcare remains at the maximum possible level, competitive practices like advertising are discouraged (Esmail & Walker, 2005). The government negotiates the prices of medication so that the cost of healthcare is controlled to a great level. In a bid to reduce the overall cost of healthcare in the country, the government encourages people to seek regular checkups which greatly and positively impacts on the quality of life and the life expectancy of nationals. According to statistics, about 30% of Canadians have their healthcare costs paid for by private sector entities. The amount mainly paid by the private sector is directed at paying for services that are either not covered or are partially covered by the public programs. Many employers contribute or supplement the healthcare of their employees by contributing towards their private insurance. The funds are spent by the provincial authorities are audited to ensure accountability, and the costs associated with healthcare maintained low to ensure sustainability. Comparison between the American and Canadian Healthcare Systems Bothe the U.S. and the Canadian government are involved in funding healthcare in their jurisdictions. While a lot is shared between the two healthcare systems, one main difference with respect to the two is the way health insurance is covered or dealt with. While in the United States, the government directly funds healthcare through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Medicaid, Veterans Administration, and Medicare, the Canadian government funds the provincial government s which offer Medicare (Lebrun & Dubay, 2010). While in the U.S. the aforementioned programs as funded by the government, only cover persons disability, children, the very destitute, some veterans and their families, and eligible senior citizens, Medicare in Canada covers all citizens for essential healthcare services. In other words, the rest of the people in the country pay for their health insurance privately. Generally, the United States of America spends on more on healthcare compared to Canada with consideration to percentage GDP and per capita income. While about 70% of healthcare spending comes from government in Canada, the U.S. shelves less than 50% on the healthcare budget (Lebrun & Dubay, 2010). While the vast majority of Canadians are enrolled to the government sponsored Medicare program, a huge percentage of those who are uninsured in the United States remain so in spite of their eligibility (Shah, 2003). The main reason many people are not covered by Medicaid and Medicare in the U.S. relate to political and fiscal challenges. Conclusion The U.S. and the Canadian healthcare systems share a lot in common. For one, both are dedicated to offering citizens affordable healthcare services. The governments in both cares offer funds at least to some level toward citizens’ healthcare. In both cases, patients have a right to chose their family physicians and where to receive services. To some extent, both systems rely on private entities for services such as insurance and healthcare provision. The two systems are also subject to major differences. While the Canadian healthcare system is mainly funded by government, the U.S. system is widely funded by the private sector. Most healthcare facilities in Canada are privately owned with the government regulating the costs of medication. The private entities that provide healthcare in the U.S. are not subject to the kind of cost regulation as in the previous case. References Esmail, N. & Walker, M. (2005) "How good is Canadian Healthcare?: 2005 Report." Vancouver BC. Fraser Institute. Lebrun L. & Dubay L. (2010). Access to primary and preventive care among foreign-born adults in Canada and the United States. Health Services Research, Sept 1, 2010, 1–27 Nair, C., Karim, R. & Nyers, C. (1992). "Health care and health status. A Canada—United States statistical comparison". Health reports / Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Health Information 4 (2): 175–83. Obama Care Facts (2013). ObamaCare Facts: Facts on the Obama Health Care Plan. Retrived from http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-facts.php Shah, C. (2003). Public health and preventive medicine in Canada. Toronto. Elsevier Canada. Read More