There has been much discussion over whether or not the United States should adopt a national health care system. The number of Americans without health insurance is 43.2 million. Although the quality and availability of medical care in the United States is among the best in the world, many people can't reap the benefits of America's precedence because of the sky rocketing prices for necessary medical care. Should the United States shift towards national health care system where all citizens could receive medical attention similar to the system in Canada? There are many aspects that must be reviewed when deciding the answer to this growing question. .
As previously stated, the number of Americans living without health insurance reaches into the millions. The number of Canadians without health coverage is zero. The Canadian federal government guarantees all citizens universal care. Canada's system is based on five principals derived from the Canadian Health Act: comprehensiveness, universality, accessibility, portability, and public administration. Taxpayers are still the ones who finance the system. Canada's system sounds intact and as if it were the appropriate role model for all countries, however, the flaws in this system of health care are unmistakable.
Last September, a woman named Frances Lever, 49, died after her stomach pains turned out to be cancerous. They were misdiagnosed after weeks of canceled appointments. This occurred in Canada. While the Canadian health care model sounds like a good system, the actual efficiency of the system is highly debatable. Between 1980 and 1990, Canada nearly tripled its public health spending. There are no limits, so patients seek as much care as desired and this drives up costs. Total government debt of gross domestic product is 90 percent in Canada while America only has 45 percent debt. Canadian bureaucrats have had to ration supply by shutting down hospitals, reducing medical payments, and limiting the number of hours a doctor can spend on surgery.
