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Views on Health Care Differ in Canada, U.S.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Canada and the United States express very different views about their respective health care systems, according to a two-country poll conducted by Angus Reid Strategies. While 65 per cent of Canadian respondents have a positive impression of their own system, 65 per cent of American respondents hold a negative impression of their own system.
In Canada, the universality criterion establishes that all residents of a province or territory must be entitled to the insured, public-run health services provided by their provincial or territorial health care insurance plan on uniform terms and conditions.
Health care in the U.S. is based on a system of benefits provided by employers, as well as the Medicare and Medicaid programs which allocate health insurance for the elderly, disabled and poor. Around 47 million Americans are uninsured.
In American presidential elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2008, Democratic nominee Barack Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. Obama became the first African American president in U.S. history when he took over from George W. Bush—who served two four-year terms—on Jan. 20.
One of Obama’s main campaign pledges was to increase access to health care for all Americans. The U.S. Congress is currently studying a proposal that would create a state-owned medical insurance company that would compete with similar private companies.
On Aug. 4, Senate Finance Committee chairman and Democratic Montana senator Max Baucus discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "There are no enemies and villains here. Most Americans want to reform our system. Most companies, industries, want to reform the system because they know we have a lousy system. We have to work together to find out a better solution, which is still a uniquely American solution, which is public and private. We’re not, you know, Great Britain. We’re not Canada. We’re not Netherlands. We’re America."
Polling Data
Canadian Respondents - What is your overall impression of the health care system in Canada?
|
Very positive |
13% |
|
Moderately positive |
52% |
|
Moderately negative |
23% |
|
Very negative |
9% |
|
Not sure |
2% |
American Respondents - What is your overall impression of the health care system in the United States?
|
Very positive |
5% |
|
Moderately positive |
26% |
|
Moderately negative |
34% |
|
Very negative |
31% |
|
Not sure |
4% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,010 Canadian adults and 1,005 American adults, conducted from Jul. 28 to Jul. 31, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent for both countries.