Healthcare Synthesis: the US vs Canada - Essay Example

'Healthcare Synthesis: the US vs Canada' is an outstanding example of a paper on the health system. 
The United States of America and Canada have been major competitors in a number of fields. The economies of these nations are always competing with major industry players being at the forefront of ensuring that they are at the helm of the business in their respective fields. This assignment provides a comprehensive discussion on the comparison of the economies of both the United States of America and Canada. Healthcare being at the center of most discussions concerning economic growth, the assignment gives specific references to healthcare statistics regarding the two nations. In detail, the paper will compare the effectiveness of these two countries in terms of their economic growth, private and public expenditure on health, information and communication technology, and health.

Discussion

The website of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) provides an in-depth description of the statistical profiles of countries across the world. These statistical figures will, therefore, play a significant part in meeting the objectives of this assignment. According to the website, the United States of America has, over the years, had a higher GDP per capita compared to Canada. As of 2013, the GDP for the USA was 52,985 while that of Canada was 43,038 USD as per current PPPs (O.E.C.D. 2014).

The rate of unemployment in the total labor force had been higher in Canada as compared to the USA. As of 2014, the Canadian rate of unemployment was 6.9% while the American rate of unemployment was 6.2% in the same year. The statistics for infant mortality rates for both countries are reasonable. Both nations have exhibited a steady reduction in their infant mortality rates over from 2007 to 2011 (O.E.C.D. 2014). However, it is worth noting that the infant mortality rate of the USA has been higher than that of Canada for all those years. As of 2011, the USA had an infant mortality rate of 6.1 while Canada had 4.8 both per ‘000.

By allowing more Americans to purchase additional insurance to create a two-tire health system, the number of uninsured citizens will reduce tremendously. This is because people will insure themselves according to the packages they can afford. The reduced number of uninsured citizens is one of the major advantages that might come with this scheme. Another advantage is that life expectancy in America would go significantly high because of the increasing accessibility to healthcare. The disadvantage of this scheme would be the population increase (Tan, 2013).

There are certain barriers to health care in the United States of America that affect citizens differently. For instance, financial barriers occur because some medical procedures are too expensive for some especially the middle and lower social classes while the scarcity of healthcare providers, especially in the suburbs, hinders people from accessing important health services (In Kirch, 2008). There are also cultural barriers in which some cultures believe in spiritual healing instead of medicinal healing. The barriers of access to healthcare and healthcare resources are majorly caused by infrastructural underdevelopment including means of transportation, electricity, banking systems and water supply (Tan, 2013).

Equity and fairness in the context of American and Canadian healthcare systems can be defined as the measures that are in place or those that ought to be put in place to ensure that all citizens gain equal access to healthcare without favoritism of any kind. Equity and fairness are considered important when discussing people’s access to healthcare because of the fact that they ensure that all healthcare services are affordable to all and increase the life expectancy of a nation. It is only through equitable provision of healthcare services that a nation can achieve its economic prospects. Finally, I agree with the fact that government-funded healthcare for everyone is consistent with the cultural values of free enterprise, self-determination, and a capitalist economy (In Kirch, 2008).