How Does Canada Do It?

Abstract

As a percentage of the gross national product, expenditures for health care in the United States are considerably larger than in Canada, even though one in seven Americans is uninsured whereas all Canadians have comprehensive health insurance. Among the sectors of health care, the difference in spending is especially large for physicians' services. In 1985, per capita expenditure was $347 in the United States and only $202 (in U.S. dollars) in Canada, a ratio of 1.72. We undertook a quantitative analysis of this ratio.