How does health care differ Canada vs the United States?

• A. Canada has private health care funded by individuals; the US has public.
• B. Canada has public health care funded by public funds; the US has private health care funded by individuals.
• C. Both have exclusively private systems.
• D. Health care is free in both countries.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how health care is funded and delivered in each country. In Canada, health care is publicly funded through taxes and aims to provide universal coverage for essential medical services. This means that people generally don’t pay out of pocket at the point of care for things like doctor visits and hospital stays, even though some services or private clinics may exist. In the United States, health care is mainly financed through private means—private insurance often obtained through an employer, with individuals paying premiums, deductibles, and co-pays. Government programs like Medicare and Medicaid exist, but they don’t cover everyone, and many people rely on private insurance or out-of-pocket payments. Because of this funding difference, the statement that best captures the contrast is that Canada has public funding, while the United States relies more on private funding.