Introduction
America and Canada have different health systems when compared n health coverage, infrastructure, and their impacts on the aging population. Healthcare reform is a widely contested topic in the United States and much of the globe. In contrast to the health care systems of the United States and other nations, particularly the Canadian healthcare system, it is possible to clear up ambiguities and make our options clearer. Many people claim that the Canadian healthcare system is “free,” but Canadians pay for their health coverage through taxation. Americans are more likely to pay for health insurance through premiums. Healthcare is never provided for free. Across the two countries, the population of the aging people is also getting higher. The aging population of people in America and Canada has been suffering from increasing ailments as they get older. Due to this effect, chronic diseases have been characterized to exert an increasing load on healthcare systems in both countries due to this trend. Politicians and policymakers acknowledge the consequences of demographic change, not just in terms of public services but also in the social atmosphere of each country, are a key factor in this trend. Thus, various scholars and economists have analyzed the cost of healthcare in Canada and the United States to determine how much the aging population impacts the healthcare systems and delivery in each nation. For example, the argument that as the population of healthcare staff becomes older and a significant number of them retire or limit their working time, the supply of healthcare experts may be reduced. At the same time, because older people account for a disproportionately large proportion of healthcare services in the United States and Canada, the demand for healthcare services is likely to rise. Therefore, this essay is a detailed discussion and comparison of health care systems in America and Canada, the impact of the aging population on both nations, and the infrastructure available based on their advantages or disadvantages.
Literature Review
According to a study by Bramlett (2017), the aging population has been more opposed to that supported by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Despite this group of people having more knowledge of political affairs than their peers, baby boomer, and older adults, this group of the population has continued to support the ACA policies due to its age-related benefits. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) increased access to affordable care for individuals under 65 and coverage for all age groups, races, and ethnicities (Bramlett, 2017). The ACA has reduced the number of uninsured older individuals by one-third, enhanced the marker of their health and wellness, and safeguarded them against coverage rejections and cost hikes due to pre-existing diseases. In reality, among non-elderly individuals, persons aged 55-64 have the lowest uninsured rate, at 8.5 percent in 2019 (Bramlett, 2017).
The Canadian home-based healthcare services were previously costly and limited in resources. Guerriere et al. (2008) indicate that improved financing through private and public finance services has improved service delivery. Although it is critical to ensure that care users receive efficient and fair care, the study reveals a limited understanding of privately paid services’ economic effects and causes (Guerriere et al., 2008). According to the study, private insurance was 10% more expensive than public insurance expenditure for patients seeking healthcare services in Ontario, Canada.
In Eggertson’s (2013) study, Canada has improved healthcare services for the senior population, especially in end-of-life and palliative assistance. According to the study respondents, 78% of them showed that the Canadian federal government is obliged to provide care for the aging population by developing an inclusive national seniors’ care strategy (Eggertson, 2013). However, the study shows that during an advanced care planning instructional period for delegates, professionals from Canada and the United States conducting public awareness campaigns about the need for end-of-life talks advised clinicians in the room to create their advanced care plans (Eggertson, 2013). In the report, delegates agreed that the Canadian government should transfer funds to provincial levels to cater to health services and benchmark critical healthcare sectors such as joint replacement and cardiac care for the aged.
Hosseini’s (2014) study agrees that as age rises, one demands a higher cost of healthcare in America. It is becoming increasingly expensive to provide healthcare in the United States as the population becomes older. Older individuals also require far more care and substantially more expensive therapies than the younger generation, causing the healthcare system expenditures to spiral out of control (Hosseini, 2014). Thus, ethicists like Daniel Callahan claim that there is a need for solutions to put in place to ration healthcare based on age. According to utilitarian ethicists, age-based rationing will deliver health care to the largest number of individuals (Hosseini, 2014).
There are significant discrepancies in health status, access to care, and consumption of medical services throughout Canada and the United States due to inequities based on race, income, and immigrant status, among other factors (Lasser et al., 2006). The research was carried out using survey methods to assess demographical data from the United States and Canada. According to the study’s findings, individuals in the United States are less likely than Canadians to have a primary care physician, are more likely to have unfulfilled health needs, and are more likely to forego needed drugs. Disparities based on ethnicity, income, and immigration status existed in both nations but were more pronounced in the United States (Lasser et al., 2006). The study further concluded that Americans have less access to care than Canadians, and more differences in health access appear to reduce with universal coverage.
There are more similarities than differences between the U.S. and Canadian healthcare systems. For example, based on the World Health Organization (WHO 2016) statistics, both countries rate quite well in worldwide polls on healthcare quality. Both nations have lengthy life expectancies and are quite prosperous compared to the rest of the healthcare systems around the globe. Research by WHO shows that life expectancy in Canada is slightly greater. In Canada, the national government pays for healthcare coverage. Most services provided by all hospitals or general practitioner (GP) practices are subsidized by government coverage. According to national government provision, it is prohibited for private insurance to cover government-provided services in Canada. The Canadian Health Act was established in 1984 to improve the health of Canadians through the Canadian healthcare system. Despite the Canadian government offering healthcare insurance, it does not operate hospitals or directly employs physicians. For example, the government directly hires physicians in the United Kingdom privately to operate in their health system (Mary Martini et al., 2007). Therefore, Canadian doctors practice individually, yet they must fulfill insurance reimbursement standards. The Canadian health system also allows its citizens to purchase private insurance coverage for some health services. For example, services such as cosmetic therapies and dentistry are usually not covered by government insurance; thus, the patients seeking such services are usually required to purchase a private insurance cover.
The main difference between Canadian and American healthcare systems is that almost half of Americans’ health insurance is often paid through employment. Such private health insurance coverage is often paid by a contribution of the employer and employee, and across all the states or employment, this coverage varies. However, due to the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, 2014), these private insurance coverages have been required to satisfy some essential standards. Among the low and middle-class earners, they frequently access Medicaid coverage, while the seniors access Medicare insurance. However, statistics show that poor Americans cannot access or qualify for government insurance, and if they are working, their employer can never provide health insurance to them as a bonus.
Consequently, many Americans found it difficult to buy private insurance. Thus, even after the introduction of the ACA, millions of Americans are still health uninsured. Americans spend more on healthcare but, in most cases, incur unanticipated expenditures. Several private insurers, each with its own set of reimbursement standards. Similarly, the available copays and deductibles differ greatly. Patients may incur substantial out-of-pocket expenses for emergency treatment or causes beyond their control.
According to the 2019 census, the Canadian population is aging. The number of the senior population is expected to rise to 21% from 16% in the next ten years. Due to these statistics, the Canadian healthcare system has been at the forefront of framing strategies that will cater to the health demands of the aging population. A higher aging population can significantly impact the health care cost of a given country. For example, Canadians below 64 years have an average of $2700 healthcare expenditure per person. For those above the age of 65 years, their health care expenditure is roughly four times greater than those below that age, amounting to at least $12000 per person (Mary Martini et al., 2007).
An aging population can have a major impact on healthcare costs. For Canadians aged 64 and under, the average per-person healthcare expenditure is $2,700. The average per-person spending in Canada for people aged 65 and over is more than four times greater, at $12,000. Hence due to this population of aging people, the Conference Board of Canada anticipates that provincial and territorial governments will invest at least $93 billion in healthcare financing over the next ten years. Simultaneously, the aging population will lower labor participation, consequently impacting employment and tax income (Mary Martini et al., 2007). Thus, the aging population will negatively impact the healthcare system in Canada through increased expenditures on health coverage. However, the increased expenditure on health finance is an advantage to the aging population because these people will have access to improved facilities and medicines and improve their health and life span because of improved healthcare accessibility.
In America, the aging population has also induced a growing cost in healthcare services due to the rise in the age-related procedures and treatments required by these older people. Their treatment requirement is high in cost and thus has driven up long-term care expenses for the families. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 National population analysis, in the next ten years, all the baby boomers will be above the age of 65, indicating that one will be at the retirement age in five Americans (Jakovljevic et al., 2017). Thus, the aging population boom also puts pressure on public health and social security services. However, statistics show that the government will be spending more on security services for senior citizens than they contribute to it.
Similarly, this population has increased the demand and supply of healthcare services currently and in the future. This indicates that healthcare costs in America will increase as Americans need to adapt. National expenditure is expected to reach $5 billion by 2025, and the national expenditure percentage of GDP will hit 19.4% of the GDP by 2027 (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2018). Therefore, the swelling aging population will impact the expenditure of the healthcare system through infrastructure and health personnel as some of them are aging too, and more research on age-related ailments. It is estimated that by 2027, there will be a cumulative shortfall of home health aides, nursing assistants, and nurse practitioners in the United States (Jakovljevic et al., 2017). However, the most obvious advantage of the American healthcare system to the aging population is that more older Americans will enjoy a longer life span and access to improved health as healthcare continues to boom in expenditure and investments for the future.
In America, the healthcare system is a financial burden to citizens. Many people will become bankrupt if they suffer from a significant ailment due to excessive pricing and many underinsured or uninsured people. Due to the wide range of prices, it is nearly impossible to compare the quality or cost of various healthcare choices, much alone determining how much one should anticipate paying. Due to this increased growth in healthcare expenditure, most Americans have had less income to spend on other socio-economic activities abundantly (Webster, 2020). These healthcare costs have led to reduced access to health, bankruptcy among poor Americans, and depletion of retirement savings as people seek healthcare services. Elsewhere in Canada, the situation is seemingly the same in America on healthcare expenditure. However, the healthcare system in Canada is inclusive to every citizen. Due to the COVID-19 virus response spending, health expenditure in Canada increased by 12.8 percent in 2020. The federal, provincial, and territory governments planned $30.6 billion in 2020 and $22.8 billion in 2021 for COVID-19-specific financing. Before the pandemic, the annual increase in health expenditures was 4% from 2015 to 2019 (Webster, 2020). Due to the Canadian healthcare system expenditure over the years, the country has also seen gradual economic growth. Consequently, due to the high expenditure on health care, the population of aging people is more likely to enjoy a longer life span and better health outcomes. The general population will continue to enjoy good health in the future.
Canada has a universal, publicly funded health system known as the Canadian Medicare. The nation’s provinces and territories fund the system through taxation. Provinces and territories each have their insurance plans, and they receive funds from the federal government on a per-capita basis. The American health system receives funding from the federal government, private health insurers, and individuals. However, the federal government runs and covers more than half of all the medical expenditures within the Medicaid, Medicare, and other healthcare programs (Donnelly et al., 2019). The funds used in these healthcare expenditures are literally from federal taxes.
Based on the two nation’s healthcare systems, healthcare policy experts have recommended that the two countries learn from each other based on health coverage, health funding, and care for the aging population. Based on the coverage model used in Canada, the United States might introduce universal health insurance so that the millions of uninsured Americans would have at least basic coverage when incurring medical expenses (Muscedere et al., 2016).
Additionally, the United States may employ smart cards to determine eligibility and handle insurance coverage claims, resulting in approximately 15% savings in U.S. healthcare costs without compromising access or quality of care. A policy would ultimately eliminate 2.5 million white-collar employment in hospitals, physician offices, and insurance corporations, resulting in a long-term economic benefit (Donnelly et al., 2019). Elsewhere, the Canadian system can learn how to implement the United States healthcare system approaches. The high-income earners in Canada could opt from their federal-provincial health plan and seek private insurance coverage to enjoy the more comprehensive private benefits. Such an approach would help decrease excessive waits in the non-emergent physicians’ treatment by assigning freshly minted specialists to their clinical staff, improving our aging population’s health access.
References
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