what are some of the major differences between healthcare in the usa and healthcare in canada?

In Canada the health care system is funded by tax dollars. When you go to see a Doctor, or when a Doctor refers you to a specialist you don't pay for the visit. The provincial governments pay the Doctor. It is the same for hospital treatment and surgeries etc. Prescription drugs, dentists, glasses etc are not covered by provincial plans. Only people on social assistance get help with these items. Most Canadians have some sort of insurance that is provided by an employer for these types of expenses.

There is a significant shortage of GPs (family Doctors) in Canada right now so many people do not have a primary care giver. This means that when they are sick they have to go the Emergency Room or a walk-in clinic. There are some significant wait times for elective surgeries right now, but that is because the governments in the 90's and earlier in this millennium were trying to cut deficits and this lead to cuts in heath care.

In the US the health care system is funded mostly by private insurance companies. This means that many people can get treatment on demand and much quicker than someone in Canada. In 2004 there were 45 million uninsured Americans. That is approximately 16% of the US population. These people rely on the free clinic etc.

The US spends the most money per capita on health care in the world, but yet has 45 million people that do not have reliable access to primary care. People are dying because they can't afford treatments. One of my US co-workers told me that if you have insurance from work it is not an issue. If someone gets sick the insurance will kick in and pay for the treatment required. He did however tell me that there have been problems with HOMs not renewing people's insurance if they think they are high risk. The US senate was investigating this about 10 years ago.

I've included a link below that talks about a woman who chose to stay in Jail so she could get the cancer treatment she needed. Scary.

Hope that helps:)

In Canada you do not pay for a Dr. visit or a hospital stay

BUT.

it is nearly impossible to find a Dr. and the wait for any elective procedure is about a year, emergencies only take 6 weeks or more.

No choice , if you have money you must go to the US to get help right away.

One of my friends lives in Canada and the wait to see a doctor is unbelievable! Her mother has cancer and I'm constantly astounded at how slow their treatment of it is compared to what I'm used to hearing about here in the U.S. The Canadians do have national health care though, but you could be dead by the time you get to see a doctor.

In the US we have socialized health care too. It is called 'Free clinics' in many of our major inner cities, used primarily by the poor and indigent.