Standards of evaluation in academic assessment and practice

Standards of Evaluation

Health Care Delivery: Canada vs. The United States

In the United States, many people complain about health care, and they say they wish health care was more like what is offered in Canada (Blendon, et al., 2004). Of course, nowhere is perfect. Canadians often complain about their health care, too, for different reasons. In order to understand the complaints and the good reviews about health care in both countries, it is important to consider access, cost, quality, and continuity. That way, it is easier to be objective about the value offered by both health care systems individually, as well as how they stack up against one another.

Where access is concerned, both Canadians and Americans can get health care. Each country has emergency rooms, and anyone can go there, regardless of how much money they have. They will not be turned away. In Canada, though, access to other types of health care can take longer. For example, there are often very long waiting lists for procedures that are not immediately necessary (Szick, et al., 1999). If a Canadian wishes to have an elective procedure, or even something that will help with quality of life but that is not required for continuity of life, he or she may have to wait several months (Kaul, et al., 2004). In America, access is more immediate, on one condition: the person must have good insurance that will cover the procedure, or must be able to pay out-of-pocket. If he or she cannot do that, there will be no procedure. Even procedures that are medically necessary are not always performed if there is no insurance to cover the procedure, or if there is another procedure that is cheaper (Blendon, et al., 2004).

Health care in Canada is privately funded, where health care in the United States is funded to some degree by the government (Medicare, Medicaid), and also by insurance companies that cover people who can afford to pay the premiums (Blendon, et al., 2004). People with little money get poor care, while people in Canada basically get the same care regardless of whether they have money. Essentially, Canadian health care is "free," in the sense that all citizens have coverage and will be treated. Of course, American health care is not free in any way, with the exception of the people who qualify for complete Medicaid coverage for indigent families. They will get health care for which they do not have to pay, but they will not get the same level of care as someone who has excellent private health insurance (Blendon, et al., 2004).

Quality is a big issue between the two countries. Canadian health care is not quite as advanced in some areas as American health care, but the two countries are still very comparable in what they can offer (Kaul, et al., 2004). Additionally, because the Canadian health care system provides coverage for all citizens, everyone receives the same quality care. This is not the case in America. There is a standard of care that must be followed, but beyond that there is nothing else required of the doctors and hospitals if the patient does not have money for other procedures or if the patient's insurance will not cover the procedure (Szick, et al., 1999).