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FUNDAMENTAL REFORM.
IT, TOO, A UNIVERSAL NATIONAL
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
CRITICS UNHAPPY WITH HEALTH CARE
IN THE UNITED STATES OFTEN POINT
TO CANADA AS A MODEL.
CANADA HAS A SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM
THAT COVERS EVERYONE.
AND MOST CANADIANS ARE HAPPY
WITH THEIR HEALTH CARE.
KITTY PILGRIM WITH OUR REPORT.
>> Reporter: IN THE LARGEST
SURVEY OF HEALTH CARE EVER, 92%
OF CANADIANS SAY THEY LIKE THEIR
DOCTORS SO MUCH THEY WOULD
RECOMMEND THEM TO FAMILY OR
FRIENDS.
IN CANADA, PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
PHYSICIANS ARE BASICALLY FAMILY
DOCTORS AND HANDLE EVERYTHING
THROUGH A PRIVATE PRACTICE,
PHYSICAL, MENTAL HEALTH,
MATERNITY, PEDIATRICS,
GERIATRICS, SAYS AN AUTHOR OF 18
BOOKS ON CANADIAN HEALTH LAW.
>> THIS IS NOT SOCIALIZED
MEDICINE.
THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT PROVIDE
DOCTORS, DOES NOT PROVIDE
HOSPITALS.
YOU GO TO WHATEVER DOCTOR YOU
WANT, JUST AS YOU DO HERE AND
DOCTORS CAN EITHER TAKE MORE
PATIENTS OR NOT TAKE PATIENTS.
IT'S UP TO THEM.
AND THE SAME IS TRUE WITH
HOSPITALS.
>> Reporter: ALL CANADIANS HAVE
HEALTH COVERAGE THROUGH THE
GOVERNMENT.
70% OF HEALTH CARE IS PUBLICLY
FUNDED AND 30% IS PRIVATELY
FUNDED.
EACH PROVINCE RUNS ITS OWN
HEALTH CARE BUDGET, ALTHOUGH THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUPPLEMENTS
SOME PROVINCES THAT ARE NOT AS
PROSPEROUS AS OTHERS.
IT IS A VERY COST-EFFECTIVE
SYSTEM.
ONLY 10% OF GDP COMPARED TO
NEARLY 16% OF THE U.S. ECONOMY.
AND CANADA ONLY SPENDS SOME
$3,895 A YEAR, THAT'S ABOUT HALF
OF THE EXPENDITURE FOR EVERY
PERSON IN THE UNITED STATES.
BUT LESS EXPENSIVE DOESN'T SEEM
TO IMPLY LESS EFFECTIVE HEALTH
CARE.
IN CANADA, MALE LIFE EXPECTANCY
IS 78 YEARS, VERSUS THE AVERAGE
OF 75 YEARS IN THE UNITED
STATES.
CANADA DOES HAVE ITS PROBLEMS,
THE MOST FREQUENTLY CITED, LONG
WAIT TIMES FOR SOME TREATMENTS.
>> THAT'S OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN
CANADA.
WE HAVE A VERY GOOD SYSTEM, GOOD
QUALITY, BUT WE HAVE WAIT TIMES.
AND THIS IS ONE THING WE WANT TO
FIX IN OUR SYSTEM, TO FIX THAT
PROBLEM OF WAIT TIMES.
BECAUSE IT'S UNACCEPTABLE.
>> Reporter: MANY DOCTORS WOULD
HELP.
CANADA HAS A SHORTAGE.
ONE DOCTOR FOR EVERY 526 PEOPLE
COMPARED ONE FOR EVERY 418
PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES.
DOCTORS ARE PAID CONSIDERABLY
LESS THAN THEIR U.S.
COUNTERPARTS, BUT LAWSUITS ARE
NOT AS COMMON IN CANADA AND
GUIDELINES FOR DAMAGES WERE SET
BACK IN 1978 BY THE CANADIAN
SUPREME COURT.
THE CANADIAN MEDICAL PROTECTIVE
ASSOCIATION PAYS DAMAGES AND
PROVIDES LEGAL COUNSEL FOR
DOCTORS WHO ARE SUED.
NOW, IN A RECENT CANADIAN POLL,
82% OF CANADIANS SAY THEY
BELIEVE THEIR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
IS BETTER THE UNITED STATES.
HEALTH CARE AND 70% OF CANADIANS
THINK THEIR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
IS WORKING WELL.
ONLY 12% THINK THE CANADIAN
SYSTEM SHOULD BE MORE PRIVATELY
FUNDED.
LOU?
>> SO THERE'S ACTUALLY LESS
SATISFACTION WITH THE CANADIAN
HEALTH CARE PLAN IN CANADA THAN
THERE IS IN THE UNITED STATES.
>> WELL, THEY LIKE THEIR DOCTORS
AND LIKE MOST OF THE SYSTEMS.
THE LONGEST -- THE BIGGEST
PROBLEM THERE IS THE WAIT TIME
THAT THEY HAVE TO WAIT LONGER
FOR THEIR OPERATIONS.
>> AND OBVIOUSLY, A NUMBER OF
CANADIANS COME TO THE UNITED
STATES FOR PROCEDURES OF ALL
SORTS.
THAT'S ALSO AN ISSUE.
THEY ALSO HAVE A FALLBACK
SYSTEM, IF YOU WILL.
BUT INTERESTINGLY, THAT RATIO OF
DOCTORS TO THE GENERAL
POPULATION, ONE TO 518, I THINK
YOU SAID, SOMETHING IN THAT
ORDER, THAT'S FAR WORSE, 20%
WORSE THAN THE UNITED STATES.
>> IT'S WORSE THAN THE UNITED
STATES, THEY HAVE A VERY BIG
SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS, AND THAT'S
A BIG PROBLEM AND THAT'S WHAT
CAUSES SOME OF THE WAIT TIME
THAT'S AN ISSUE.
>> EVERYONE'S STRUGGLING HERE
FOR SOLUTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS
TO THIS SYSTEM.
ALL OF THESE ISSUES HAVE TO BE
CONFRONTED, ONE WOULD THINK, BY
BOTH THE PROPONENTS AND
OPPONENTS OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN
WASHINGTON, D.C.
ALL OF THESE ARE CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT ISSUES.
>> CANADA'S TRYING TO TRAIN MORE