The Associated Press’ Charmaine Noronha takes another look at the Canadian health care system, focusing on the debate over its effectiveness and on Canadians’ relative satisfaction with their care. Noronha relied on a number of polls and studies to help inform the discussion, including per-capita cost numbers.
Canada’s system provides its citizens with coverage at a much lower per capita cost than the U.S. largely because its single-payer system, in which the government picks up the tab, greatly reduces administrative costs.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, per-capita spending for health care in the U.S. was $6,714 in 2006; in Canada, $3,678. The U.S. spent 16 percent of its GDP on health care that year; Canada spent 10 percent.
