The Canadian health care system: Comparison with that of Germany and the United States

In this essay question, the Canadian health care system has been compared with that of Germany and the United States. To start with, Canada indirectly provides health services through a tax-funded public system, which is accessible to all Canadians. Citizens receive coverage from ambulatory services, inpatient services, prescription medications, physician services, community health services, disease prevention programs, and health protection programs. Most hospitals are nonprofit, autonomous entities that provide inpatient and ambulatory services, diagnostic testing, and other services. The Canadian system has been providing successfully a universal access to care regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Canada’s success in providing universal access and caring for the less fortunate has been a great source of pride for its citizens, who look at it as giving a striking contrast to the US system which leaves many people uninsured. Moreover, the health care renewal accord, which was adopted in 2003, consisted of an agreement, which articulated what needed to be done to reinvigorate the Canadian health system. In the latter regard, items such as funding, objectives, visions, and so forth were illuminated and prioritized. The priorities, which were established, included additional investments in primary health care, home care, and catastrophic drug coverage, to insure for a more long-term strategic functionality of the Canadian healthcare system. Hospitals are staffed with physicians, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, aides, and other various health care professionals. The physicians organize and provide a variety of health care services, and they are compensated primarily through fee for service payments. Like Sweden, Canada provides universal access with high quality care, but struggles to contain costs. Like the UK, Canada implicitly rations care through primary care gate keeping and by imposing waiting lists for specialized care. Recent reforms have focused on maintaining high quality while controlling costs.