Stop Comparing Canadian and US Healthcare

[@ProfessorGoose]

UPDATE: On August 4th, 2021, the Commonwealth Fund published another report. This time Canada ranked 10th out of 11 wealthy nations. Read the report here: www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2021/aug/mirror-mirror-2021-reflecting-poorly

[@r.ladaria135]

Meanwhile somewhere in the south of Europe... I pay both for the public healthcare system, that I avoid, and my private Medical insurance.

[@Shane-uz5zb]

It should be noted that healthcare quality is vastly different across provinces. I have recieved services in most provinces and can affirm that it gets better the farther west you go. For example, I'v had a family member die while waiting for stroke treatment in Montreal. He was planning to go state side for treatment before passing. My own parents gave up trying to find a family doctor (Northern Ontario). The level of attention my family has received since moving to Saskatchewan has been absolutely spectacular. There is nothing universal about healthcare in Canada.

[@firefox39693]

The public health outcomes always end up being better in Canada compared to the US. That simple fact, of course, should never distract from trying to improve it further by nationalizing drug coverage, mental heath coverage, vision, long-term care, hearing, and dental coverage.

[@kimheffernan5511]

Update even though Canada and UK are single payer systems they are very different. And if you pull up studies about healthcare satisfaction Canada ranks better then the UK. I pay 35 a month for my healthcare through work in Canada and I get my prescriptions for 4.00 a month, my eye exam is free and I get 200.00 for glasses. My dental is partially covered but my sons braces were 100% covered

[@noahremnek3615]

US healthcare is a disaster. Administrative costs, lack of transparency, no pricing regulation on drugs. Ridiculous government should set prices like in other countries. I don’t care if it will limit innovation. The innovation we get is useless if nobody can afford.

[@michaelbenjamin6308]

Appreciate the argument and of course there is always room for improvement and efficiencies, but these comparisons always leave out the population size of Canada. As the 37th most populous country in the world, that's a smaller tax and consumer base to draw upon to do everything that everyone wants. Top 10 is pretty good "despite of" out of how many countries that should be doing better because they have a bigger GDP. I do like the idea of a national Pharma care program though. Like all things political, the private health care insurers would lobby against it since it will hit their profits. Maybe the government could be a national pharma wholesaler of all prescription drugs to get the best price points. Then pharmacies and hospitals buy from the Government warehouse. Maybe we could pay Amazon to be the logistics handler since they could probably be cheap and efficient. That could spur warehouse and transport links in remote areas to further develop underserved regions of the country and give the population and doctors more reason to move to low population centres in remote communities. I'd move in a heartbeat to get cheaper housing prices if I could only get High Speed Internet and a bullet train to get me to Toronto in under an hour. LoL but I digress.