Compare access between the two healthcare systems for children, people who are unemployed, and people who are retired.

the United States healthcare insurance is a joint venture of public and private healthcare insurers. The access to healthcare insurance may vary as per salary and income levels of individuals. The Canadian insurance coverage plan is solely administered by the government and access to all the basic healthcare services is available to the entire population.

Explanation:

The United States healthcare system comprises of both public and private insurers. Mostly, people receive insurance coverage through private insurance sponsored by their employees. The healthcare benefits and costs vary as per the salary of employees. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted in 2010 focused on increasing healthcare affordability for low-income employees and those who are unemployed. The United States healthcare system covers children, unemployed and retired citizens through their Medicaid insurance program which is funded both by states and federal government. The US Medicaid system covers medical insurance of children, low income families, pregnant women and disabled citizens. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) covers children who are not appropriately covered by their family insurance coverage. Retired personnel who get retired prior to 65 years and does not have health insurance coverage can purchase the private healthcare plan and once they reach 65 years of age, they automatically qualify for Medicare which is an old age federal insurance plan.  

The Canada Healthcare Act enacted in 1984 provides provincial healthcare plans which are administered at provincial levels. This plan provides comprehensive healthcare insurance and first dollar coverage for all medical services. This healthcare coverage plan is accessible to all residents and does not require any out of pocket charges to be paid. The physicians are paid on a fee-to-service basis by the Canadian provincial governments and private health insurance cannot be charged for services covered by these provincial insurance plans. However, Canadians can take private insurance on their own for any services that are not covered by their basic plan such as prescription drugs and dental services. The insurance reimbursement process takes place between the government and the healthcare provider. Therefore, Canadians are not part of the reimbursement plan and no monetary exchange takes place between the patient and healthcare provider.