To implement this universal health system, the federal government took over full funding of both hospital and physician services. Making all healthcare “free” for the insured. The insured Canadian citizens had no premiums, deductibles or any co-payments in a time of hospitalization. But other services such as dental care and prescription drugs must be paid for either through private insurance or out-of pocket. Since nobody was being charged for these health care services, the demand was not restricted which caused long waiting times for ones in need of medical attention. In 2005 Canada’s highest court ruled that the 1984 Act was in fact unconstitutional. “1984 Act that ordered any service that the single payer system, no matter how much in short supply it may be, cannot be privately insured or produced and sold in Canada”. The removal of this Act created an opportunity for privately owned healthcare insurers to rise and for the first time ever changed the single payer system into mixed-system (private-public system). These Canadian healthcare services are delivered privately, but funded publicly. In 2006, per-capita spending for health care in Canada was USD 3,678 in the U.S., USD 6,714. The U.S. spent 15.3% of GDP on healthcare in that year; Canada spent …show more content…
This act was created to increase the quality and affordability of health insurance, lower the uninsured rate by expanding private and public health coverage. Mandates and subsidies were also introduced and implemented in the reform . Under the act, hospitals and primary physicians would change their practices financially, technologically, and clinically to deliver better health outcomes, lower costs, and improve their methods of distribution and accessibility. On March 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the average number of uninsured during the period from January to September 2014 was 11.4 million fewer than the average in 2010. In order for this Act to work there has been many changes and regulations set by the government. Employer mandates were created. Employers with more than 50 full time employees had to provide free health care benefits for workers. If the employer failed to create such benefits they would have to pay penalties in a form of higher taxes. Subsidies was another method of controlling the uninsured rate, by subsidizing citizens who can not afford health insurance. The money for these subsidies is paid for by higher income citizens with tax increase. Small employers who do not have many employees would still have to provide health insurance plans either from private or government