Healthcare In America And Canada

America and Canada are so close to each other but yet they both have two different types of healthcare systems. Our healthcare system does not seem to keep its citizens as healthy as the Canadians health care system so we will take a look at Canada's healthcare system and see what makes their system work.

America is one of the greatest nations in the world. It also has a huge problem that it cannot seem to resolve. Healthcare is becoming one of the hottest issues in America today. There are millions of people working and living in America who do not have even the most basic health insurance for themselves or their families. The United States spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation in the world and yet, its citizens are not the healthiest. The US healthcare system is the most expensive of systems, outstripping by over half again the health care expenditures of any other country.

Health care costs in the United States continue to rise and less people can afford it to purchase any coverage at all. The number of people without health insurance continues to increase The Medicaid and Medicare systems we currently have are overburden and often abused.

Medicaid has become a major budgetary issue for many states over the last few years the Medicaid program, on average, is taking up a quarter of each state's budget. The Medicaid program provides health care services to many Americans, the largest group being children. It is estimated that Medicaid pays for nearly 60 percent of all nursing home residents and about 37 percent of all births in the United States.

The Canadian government provides a comprehensive free package for all its citizens which can be compared to a HMO in the states. The cost for medicine is very affordable compared to the price of filling a prescription in the United States.

Canada provides each Province to manage their own healthcare system. For example, each Province issues their own healthcare identification cards and negotiates with the Federal Government for money to cover their healthcare costs. Each province also provides their own Prescription Drug Benefit Plan, available to every Canadian regardless of income level.

Prescription drug benefits are however adjusted for income, with a higher co-payment required for those with higher personal incomes. The prescription drug benefit is very comprehensive

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