Canada’s health care system has been getting plenty of pressione no U.S. recentemente during the intense debate about health care reform.

American journalist T.R. Reid, has just published a new book, A Cura da América: A Global Quest for Better, Mais barato, Saúde e Cuidados Fairer, in which he looks at not just the Canadian system, but at health care models around the world.

Reid shares his own experiences seeking care for his “bum shoulder” in the U.K., França, Alemanha, Japão, Canadá e.

In an article for the Washington Post, “5 Mitos sobre Cuidados de Saúde ao Redor do Mundo,” Reid argues that the U.S. health care system actually takes elements from many other countries’ medical models, including Canada’s:

De muitas maneiras, foreign health-care models are not really “foreign” to America, because our crazy-quilt health-care system uses elements of all of them. For Native Americans or veterans, we’re Britain: The government provides health care, funding it through general taxes, e os pacientes não recebem contas. For people who get insurance through their jobs, we’re Germany: Premiums are split between workers and employers, and private insurance plans pay private doctors and hospitals.

For people over 65, we’re Canada: Everyone pays premiums for an insurance plan run by the government (Medicar), and the public plan pays private doctors and hospitals according to a set fee schedule. And for the tens of millions without insurance coverage, we’re Burundi or Burma: In the world’s poor nations, sick people pay out of pocket for medical care; those who can’t pay stay sick or die.

You can also listen to an interview with Reid about his health care adventures on NPR’s Fresh Air.

Então, o que os canadenses pensar sobre seu próprio sistema de saúde?

Despite ongoing concerns about longas esperas for certain types of medical procedures, a recent survey by the Instituto Canadense de Informação de Saúde found that overall, Canadians are “happy with primary health care.”

Fotografia © Carolyn B. Heller