If I could summarize the comparison between Canadian and U.S. health care as simply as possible, I'd say this: Canada is superior for simple things, while the U.S. is where you want to be if you have complex injuries or illnesses.
I should also point out that this isn't really a comparison of a socialist system vs. a capitalist system. The U.S. doesn't really have a capitalist health care system. Any industry that is built on a system of third-party payments is bound to function just like a socialist bureaucracy -- and it doesn't matter whether the "third party" is a government agency or an insurance company. The mere presence of a third party in the process means the conventional market forces of pricing related to supply and demand go out the window.
RE: Canada is superior for simple things, while the U.S. is where you want to be if you have complex injuries or illnesses.
Is Child birth considered simple or complex?
Two female friends of mine had pregnancies. One paid just $15.00 for her child’s birth in Canada. The US friend paid $5000 for her child’s birth ( her rich uncle helped pay for it as she did not have the means to pay ).
Agreed.
In a single payer system, all you have is one public address of payment to health care providers.
Voters can decide if their health care is affected by voting for politicians who make sure the system is adequately funded.
It doesn’t mean the government necessarily runs the health sector.
Obamacare isn’t a free market plan for what kind of free market plan prevents you from buying health insurance 9 months out of the year?
Except for elective procedures, which continue to decline in cost and improve in quality year after year.
For example, Laser eye surgery, or Dental implants.
Cosmetic surgery has also gotten better and cheaper, mainly because it is mostly based on patient pays, supply and demand.