title: Understanding the trade-offs of the Canadian health system.
abstract: Canada spends less per citizen on health care than the United States does by maintaining tight control over prices. The Canadian government sets fee schedules for physicians, annual budgets for hospitals, and prices for prescription drugs. Caregivers also have lower incomes in Canada than in the United States. The United States needs to decide whether this combination of cost control tools would best meet the needs of U.S. citizens for universal healthcare coverage.
authors.affiliation: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Oakland, Calif., USA.
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Halvorson
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003363:Cost Control; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States