Fed up with the U.S. healthcare system, many American physicians are heading to Canada to practice medicine in an environment where they don't have to consider whether their patients will be able to afford treatment, NPR reports.
Here are six takeaways from the report.
1. While U.S. politicians often paint a rosy picture of the Canadian single-payer healthcare system, Peter Cram, MD, an internist from Iowa City, Iowa, who moved to Toronto in 2014, said the system is far from perfect. "Anyone who gives you a sound bite and says this system should be adopted by [the U.S.] ... I think they're being almost disingenuous," he said.
2. While every Canadian is afforded government health insurance, only hospitals and physician visits are covered — prescription medications, dentists, optometrists and some specialists are not. Most Canadians buy additional private insurance to cover those expenses, according to NPR citing Kaiser Health News.
3. The Canadian government also prohibits private insurers from offering plans that may compete with government insurance, which serves as a point of contention with some physicians in Canada, the report states.
4. The two biggest issues with Canadian healthcare involve wait times and health spending, the report states. Canada's provinces spend, on average, 38 percent of their respective budgets on healthcare, according to data from a 2016 report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information cited by NPR. The system is largely supported by federal and provincial funds raised through personal and corporate income taxes.
5. Because the majority of Americans maintain higher expectations about what a health plan should cover, the cost of implementing a healthcare system similar to Canada's would be more expensive. Dr. Cram said the quality of care also differs between the two nations; wealthier Canadians receive the same type of care as less affluent residents. "Everyone [in Canada] gets Kmart care. There's no Neiman Marcus care," he said.
6. However, before American lawmakers attempt to change the system, they must answer the question of whether healthcare constitutes a right.
"The U.S. needs to get on with the rest of the world and get an answer on that issue before it answers others," said Robert Reid, MD, PhD, a professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto who has also practiced medicine in Seattle, according to the report.
To read the full NPR report, click here.
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