Last edited Thu Jun 14, 2012, 11:03 AM - Edit history (1)
Overhead for Canada's universal single payer health care system is 1.3% to cover everyone with no ($ ZERO - no deductible, no copay) in out of pocket costs for any physician (GP or specialist) or hospital services (about $3800 per capita per year total cost). Overhead for even US Medicare is over double than, at around 3%. US Insurance-run health care, by comparison, has overhead of only 20% to 25% because of the affordable Care Act, but without the ACA, overhead by US insurance companies PLUS increased overhead charged by physicians to hire the extra staff needed by insurance-run health care (but not needed for single payer) PLUS increased overhead charged by hospital to hire the extra staff needed by insurance-run health care (but not needed for single payer) is about 55% of what you pay in the United States (about $7900 per capita per year total cost) .
As an example, comparing a Canadian hospital (all are non profit) and a similar sized American hospital (many are for profit) similar in every other way, the American hospital needs 40 to 60 accounts receivable staff to coerce American insurance companies to pay, while the American insurance companies pay as little and as slowly as possible. The similar Canadian hospital needs no more than 3 accounts receivable staff to deal with the single payer, the federal and provincial government (the province pays initially and the federal government reimburses the provincial government for the federal share), which pays without denial or delay within 14 days.
The Canadian universal single payer health care system pays for all physician visits for GPs or any specialist the GP refers you to as well as treatment in physician's offices (vaccinations and other treatments usually done in a physician's office), and any tests, medically necessary non experimental treatment, surgery (as determined by your physician, not the government) in clinics or hospitals. Almost universally employers cover vision care, dental care, and those prescription drugs which are not otherwise covered by a government plan (costing around $100 to $120 a month per employee as a non monetary, non copay benefit). All provinces have a Pharmacare (government funded drug plan) for Seniors ($375 deductible per year), and Manitoba and Nova Scotia have a Pharmacare program for everyone without an employee drug plan (deductible of 3% of taxable income per year for non Seniors per family - the average tax deduction in Canada is $20,000, so someone who makes $60,000 a year has about $40,000 of taxable income) .
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