Canada’s health care system has been getting plenty of нажмите на U.S. недавно during the intense debate about health care reform.

American journalist T.R. Рейд, has just published a new book, Исцеление Америке: A Global Quest for Better, Дешевле, и более справедливого здравоохранения, in which he looks at not just the Canadian system, but at health care models around the world.

Reid shares his own experiences seeking care for his “bum shoulder” in the U.K., Франция, Германия, Япония, и Канада.

In an article for the Washington Post, “5 Мифы о здравоохранении в разных странах мира,” Reid argues that the U.S. health care system actually takes elements from many other countries’ medical models, including Canada’s:

Во многих отношениях, foreign health-care models are not really “foreign” to America, because our crazy-quilt health-care system uses elements of all of them. For Native Americans or veterans, we’re Britain: The government provides health care, funding it through general taxes, и пациенты не получают счета. For people who get insurance through their jobs, we’re Germany: Premiums are split between workers and employers, and private insurance plans pay private doctors and hospitals.

For people over 65, we’re Canada: Everyone pays premiums for an insurance plan run by the government (Medicare), and the public plan pays private doctors and hospitals according to a set fee schedule. And for the tens of millions without insurance coverage, we’re Burundi or Burma: In the world’s poor nations, sick people pay out of pocket for medical care; those who can’t pay stay sick or die.

You can also listen to an interview with Reid about his health care adventures on NPR’s Свежий воздух.

Так что же канадцы думают о своей собственной системе здравоохранения?

Despite ongoing concerns about длительные ожидания for certain types of medical procedures, a recent survey by the Канадский институт медицинской информации found that overall, Canadians are “happy with primary health care.”

Фото © Carolyn B. Хеллер