Using the Internet, and the data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), research comparative international work and compare the United States and Canada with respect to which country is more effective in the areas of (1) economic growth; (2) expenditure (public and private expenditure on health); (3) information and communications technology; and (4) health.

Click here to access data from the OECD.

On the basis of your observations, create a 1- to 2-page report.

Your report should address the following questions:

• After going through the statistics:
  • What information or statistic you find either surprising or reasonable?
  • Do you anticipate the statistics will be similar in ten years? Why or why not?
• The current structure of healthcare coverage in the United States has a combination of employer-based coverage and public program (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid) coverage, with a large uninsured population. If a single-payer system is implemented where Medicare is expanded to cover all citizens for those who prefer private insurance, there will be comparable coverage under the same range of private insurance plans already available. Keeping in mind these considerations, answer the following questions:
  • What do you think about allowing some people to purchase additional insurance, thereby creating a two-tier health system based on affordability?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of this initiative?
• Considering the fact that healthcare is not a guaranteed right for everyone in the United States, there are different kinds of barriers and obstacles in obtaining healthcare. In contrast to this fact, the notions of equity and fairness are considered very important. You will notice that these notions aren’t considered when we discuss people’s access to other goods, such as cars and computers.
  • What are these barriers? Give examples of the different barriers to health care under the following headings:
    • Financial barriers
    • Scarcity of healthcare providers
    • Barriers to access healthcare
    • Cultural barriers
    • Barriers of healthcare resources
  • How would you define the term, “equity and fairness”, in the context of the healthcare situations prevailing in the United States and Canada?
  • Why are they considered important when discussing people’s access to care?
• It is believed that government funded healthcare for all citizens is consistent with a capitalist economy and the cultural values of self-determination and free enterprise.
  • Do you agree with this statement? If not, what other approaches do you think will resolve the current inequities in the system?