MHA620 WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT 1

Compare and Contrast U.S. Healthcare

Policy
Review the health policies of each of the following countries. Then, choose a
country from the following list to compare and contrast with the current U.S.
healthcare system:

 China
 England
 Germany
 Australia
 Canada
 Japan

Once you have thoroughly analyzed the health policy information for your
chosen country, answer the following questions:

 What is the main focus of the policy standard in this (chosen)

country?
 What are the similarities to the U.S. healthcare system?
o Governance
o Workforce
o Leadership
o Quality
 How does the U.S. healthcare system differ in terms of policy?
 Where do you foresee the U.S. healthcare system in the future
(long-/short- term)? (Review from one of the the following
perspectives: the provider, the patient, or other stakeholders)
 Summarize the meaning of universality in U.S. health policy versus
your chosen country. (Include your research on the future of the
U.S. healthcare system)

The paper:

 Must be four to six double-spaced pages in length (not including

title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as
outlined in the Writing Center.
 Must include a separate title page with the following:
o Title of paper
o Student’s name
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o Course name and number

o Instructor’s name
o Date submitted
 Must use at least four scholarly sources in addition to the course
text.
 Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Writing
Center.
 Must include a separate reference page that is formatted according
to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric Links to an external site.for the criteria
that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

MHA620 Week 1 Assignment

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliations

Instructor

Date
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Canadian and U.S. Healthcare Policy Comparison

Introduction

Regarding healthcare, there are many different approaches that countries take. Some are

public systems while others are private; some are single-payer while others have a multi-payer

system (Hussey & Anderson, 2003). However, how do these systems compare? This paper will

look at the healthcare systems in Canada and the United States. The discussion will compare and

contrast the two systems regarding cost, access, and quality of care.

The main focus of the healthcare policy standard in Canada is to provide high-quality,

universal access to healthcare services. The government of Canada works with provincial and

territorial governments to ensure that all eligible residents have access to medically necessary

hospital and physician services without financial barriers. Canadian hospitals are publicly funded

and operate on a non-profit basis (Martin et al., 2018). Physicians are also publicly funded but

may charge fees for some services. In contrast, the main focus of healthcare policy in the United

States is to provide access to health insurance coverage for all Americans. The Affordable Care

Act (ACA) was enacted to achieve this goal, and it requires all Americans to have health

insurance coverage or pay a penalty (Popescu, 2014). The ACA also expanded Medicaid

eligibility so that more low-income Americans could qualify for government-sponsored health

insurance. However, many Republicans have opposed and worked to repeal the ACA.

The healthcare systems in the United States and Canada share several similarities with

regard to governance, workforce, leadership, and quality. Both countries have a decentralized
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healthcare delivery system, meaning that responsibility for healthcare provision is shared among

different levels of government (Wu, 1969). Both countries have a mix of public and private

healthcare providers. Various professionals provide leadership in healthcare systems, including

physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers (Saltman & Figueras, 1998). Quality assurance

in both systems is ensured through accreditation and regulation by various local, provincial/state,

and national bodies. There are also some similarities in the way that the workforce is structured

in both countries. There is a mix of public and private sector healthcare providers in Canada. In

the United States, the majority of healthcare providers are private entities. However, both

countries have a significant number of foreign-trained healthcare workers. One similarity

between the two healthcare systems that should be noted is that both are facing challenges

regarding sustainability and affordability. As populations in both countries continue to grow and

age, demand for healthcare services is expected to increase while funding remains static or

decreases. This puts pressure on healthcare systems to become more efficient and effective in

their delivery of care.

The United States has a much more complex healthcare system than Canada. In the U.S.,

there are many different types of health insurance plans, each with its own set of rules and

regulations (Neumann & Quiñonez, 2014). The government also plays a more significant role in

the U.S. healthcare system in terms of funding and regulation. One significant difference

between the U.S. and Canadian healthcare systems is that the U.S. has a much higher level of

inequality in access to care (Van Doorslaer, Masseria, & Koolman, 2006). This is due to some

factors, including the fact that the U.S. does not have a universal healthcare system like Canada.

As a result, many people in the U.S. do not have health insurance and thus have no way to pay
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for medical care. Another critical difference between the two countries' healthcare systems is the

way that costs are controlled. In Canada, the government sets prices for all drugs and medical

services through a process called "price controls" (Allin & Rudoler, 2019). This means that

everyone pays the same price for a given drug or service, regardless of their income level or

ability to pay. In contrast, there is no such thing as price controls on drugs or medical services in

the United States. As a result, prices can vary widely depending on who is providing the service

and where one lives.

As the U.S. healthcare system continues to evolve, a number of potential changes could

take place in the coming years. This section of the paper looks at some of the critical areas where

the U.S. healthcare system could see a change in the future from the perspective of providers,

patients, and other stakeholders.

Providers

One area likely to see a change in the near future is how providers are reimbursed for

their services. Currently, provider reimbursement is often based on the volume of services

delivered rather than the quality of those services. This can lead to providers feeling like they

have to see more patients to make a reasonable income, which can impact the quality and

quantity of care that patients receive (Lavallee et al., 2020). In the future, provider

reimbursement will move towards being based on quality measures, which could incentivize
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providers to focus more on delivering high-quality care instead of simply seeing as many patients

as possible.

Patients

Patients are also likely to see future changes in how they access care. One potential

change is an increase in telemedicine, allowing patients to consult with their doctors remotely

using technology such as video conferencing (Lavallee et al., 2020). This could be particularly

beneficial for patients who live in rural areas or who have difficulty getting to a doctor's office

due to their work schedule or other commitments. Additionally, patients may see an increase in

their ability to access their health data and information as electronic health records become more

common. This could allow patients to be more proactive in managing their health and make

tracking their progress more manageable.

Other Stakeholders

Future changes to the U.S. healthcare system could also impact several other

stakeholders. For example, insurance companies may see changes in how they cover care and

what types of care they are required to cover (Lavallee et al., 2020). Additionally, employers

could see changes in how they provide health insurance to their employees or whether they offer

it. Pharmaceutical companies, on the other hand, could be impacted by changes in how drugs are

prescribed and paid for by both patients and insurers.

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In the United States, health policy is based on the principle of universality, which means

that all citizens are entitled to health care. This entitlement is enshrined in the country's

Constitution, and it is one of the main pillars of the U.S. healthcare system. In contrast, Canada's

health policy is based on the principle of accessibility, which means that all citizens have access

to health care but not necessarily an entitlement to it. The future of healthcare in the United

States is uncertain. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, was designed to

provide universal coverage for all Americans, but it has been largely unsuccessful in achieving

this goal. In 2017, only about 10% of the population was covered by ACA plans (Sanders et al.,

2019). The Trump administration has made numerous attempts to repeal and replace the ACA,

but these efforts have failed so far. It remains to be seen what will happen to healthcare in the

United States in the years to come.

In Canada, meanwhile, the future of healthcare looks much more stable. The country has

had a universal healthcare system in place for many years, and Canadians have a broad

consensus that this system should be maintained. The Canadian government has made recent

changes to improve accessibility and reduce wait times for medical procedures (Johannessen &

Alexandersen, 2018). However, the country's healthcare system is expected to remain unchanged

in the years ahead.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evident that there are notable differences between the healthcare

policies of Canada and the United States. The most notable difference is that the Canadian

system is public, while the U.S. system is private. This means that in Canada, everyone is
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covered by the government-run healthcare system. In contrast, in the United States, people can

choose private health insurance or be covered by government programs like Medicaid or

Medicare. Another critical difference between these two countries' healthcare systems is how

they are funded. In Canada, healthcare is primarily funded through taxes. In the United States,

however, public and private funding sources are used to pay for healthcare. Overall, Canada and

the United States have their strengths and weaknesses in healthcare policy. It is important to note

that every country has a unique healthcare system. Each country has different priorities and

values that shape its respective healthcare policies.

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References

Allin, S., & Rudoler, D. (2019). The Canadian health care system. International Profiles of

Health Care Systems, 27-35.

Hussey, P., & Anderson, G. F. (2003). A comparison of single-and multi-payer health

insurance systems and options for reform. Health policy, 66(3), 215–228.

Johannessen, K. A., & Alexandersen, N. (2018). Improving accessibility for outpatients in

specialist clinics: reducing long waiting times and waiting lists with a simple analytic

approach. BMC health services research, 18(1), 1-13.

Lavallee, D. C., Lee, J. R., Austin, E., Bloch, R., Lawrence, S. O., McCall, D., ... &

Amtmann, D. (2020). mHealth and patient-generated health data: stakeholder

perspectives on opportunities and barriers for transforming healthcare. Mhealth, 6.

Martin, D., Miller, A. P., Quesnel-Vallée, A., Caron, N. R., Vissandjée, B., & Marchildon, G.

P. (2018). Canada's universal healthcare system: achieving its potential. The Lancet,

391(10131), 1718-1735.

Neumann, D. G., & Quiñonez, C. (2014). A comparative analysis of oral health care systems

in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Brazil. NCOHR Working

Paper Series, 1(2).

Popescu, G. H. (2014). Economic aspects influencing the rising costs of health care in the

United States. American Journal of Medical Research, 1(1), 47-47.

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Saltman, R. B., & Figueras, J. (1998). Analyzing The Evidence On European Health Care

Reforms: Experience in western European health care systems suggests lessons for

reform in the United States, according to a significant international comparison by the

World Health Organization. Health Affairs, 17(2), 85-108.

Sanders, D., Nandi, S., Labonté, R., Vance, C., & Van Damme, W. (2019). From primary

health care to universal health coverage—one step forward and two steps back. The

Lancet, 394(10199), 619-621.

Van Doorslaer, E., Masseria, C., & Koolman, X. (2006). Inequalities in access to medical care

by income in developed countries. Cmaj, 174(2), 177-183.

Wu, S. (1969). Compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction among oncology

nurses in the United States and Canada. Number 4/July 2016, 43(4), E161-E169.