Comparing Canadian and American Health Care

For the first time ever, KPBS teams up with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to compare American privatized medicine with government funded, universal health care in Canada. In the end, which system would make us healthier? In which country would we live longer? And is basic health care a right or a privilege? [San Diego Week broadcasts this Envision San Diego episode called "Right to Health" Friday July 3, 2009]

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• canada
• usa
• health
• care
• kpbs
• envision
• san
• diego

[WAVO293]

When your healthcare is built to make money rather than treat people, it is a crime, regardless

[TheKaBlamski]

America the only place where you have to sell your home if you need an operation. America preaches to the world on how to look after one another, and their governments can not even do it for their own citizens. When it comes to Health Care - America you are a Joke, love always Rest of World :)

[bgoins21]

You can't compare a lawyer with full coverage to a person working for a temp. agency. Of course he likes the system in the U.S. is better for him is because he is covered. SCOOT YA SEATS UP!!!

[MagnesDrachen13]

America's healthcare motto: "Profit above all, always and forever"

Prove me wrong, conservatives.

[sarahloreensmith]

My Grandmother spends half of the year in Calgary and the other half in Arizona, and she recently told me that she thinks she is having heart problems, but refuses to see a physician because she doesn't want to lose her ability to obtain health care for the winter months she spends in Phoenix.

[scottelly2]

5,000 mobile clinics would cost $5,000 million ($5 billion) per year . . . just a very small percentage of the $700 billion that is spent on Medicare each year. Those mobile clinics could provide regular health care to the millions who are not covered at the same time they provide alternative service to seniors on Medicare. That would be a start. 1,000 new hospitals (at a cost of $100,000 million ($100 billion) per year would be the next step. This would still be a small portion of Medicare.

[StupidCommentsMademe]

@Swidhelm There need to be standards but all this regulation has made it impossible for honest companies to function. The companies are going to go for profits regardless of what we do but if you have a system with less regulation some companies will pride themselves on their honesty to attract business. But right now the system is so screwy that there is no way to operate a business than using loop holes. Regulation hurt the honest more, because the dishonest will just be more dishonest.

[potaka79]

The Canadian health system is better then the American system, but I'm just glad the Australian system is better again. I'm not by any means saying it is the best but it is better then north America.

[potaka79]

The American health system is fucked....what is the point of having theses great doc's if your people can't access them. It is criminal how your government treats it's people.

[Swidhelm]

@TheJacobhoward56 You do know it's more expensive to eat healthy right? If you don't have a lot of disposable income, you eat cheap. You eat cheap, you get lots of processed sugar, saturated fats, and calories galore.