Comparative Analysis: Canadian vs. American Healthcare Systems

Canadian vs. American Health Care

Population Distribution

• Canada:
  • Population: 36 million (2015)
  • Land area: 9,093,000 \, \text{km}^2
  • 80\% live in urban areas
  • 90\% live within 600 \,\text{km} of the USA
  • Remaining 10\% sparsely distributed across 90\% of the land mass.
• United States:
  • Population: 321 million (2015)
  • Land area: 9,148,000 \, \text{km}^2
  • 81\% live in urban areas
  • 80\% live within 60 miles of the coast
  • The West region has the highest urban concentration.

Health Outcomes

Life Expectancy

• Canada:
  • Females: 83.6 years
  • Males: 79.4 years
• United States:
  • Females: 81.2 years
  • Males: 76.4 years

Infant Mortality (Deaths per 1,000 Live Births)

• Canada: 4.8
• United States: 6

Maternal Mortality (Deaths per 1,000 Live Births)

• Canada: 6.5
• United States: 12.7

Health Care Spending (2013)

Canada

• Average health care cost per citizen: \$4,569
  • Public healthcare: \$3,074
  • Out-of-pocket costs: \$623
  • Private insurance premiums: \$654

America

• Average health care cost per citizen: \$9,000
  • Public healthcare (Medicaid or Medicare): \$4,197
  • Out-of-pocket costs (copayments, coinsurance, deductibles): \$1,074
  • Health insurance premiums: \$3,442

Wait Times

• Waited 2 hours or more in the emergency room:
  • Canada: 39\%
  • America: 31\%
• Waited 4 or more weeks to see a specialist:
  • Canada: 43\%
  • America: 10\%
• Had surgery within a month of initial consultation:
  • Canada: 35\%
  • America: 61\%
• Had surgery within 4 months of initial consultation:
  • Canada: 80\%
  • America: 97\%

Health Systems

• Physicians per 1,000 people:
  • Canada: 2.2
  • America: 2.4
• General physicians per 100,000 people:
  • Canada: 99
  • America: 100
• Specialists per 100,000 people:
  • Canada: 94
  • America: 207
• Primary Care provided by family physician:
  • Canada: 85\%
  • America: 45\%
• Primary Care provided by non-physician clinician:
  • Canada: N/A
  • America: 15\%
• Med School graduates going into Family Medicine:
  • Canada: 38.5\%
  • America: 10.2\%