An Overview of the Canadian Health Care System

• Authors: Iwona A. Bielska , Elizabeth M. Hampel , Ana P. Johnson
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The Canadian health care system is a publicly financed system administered by ten provincial and three territorial governments. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the universal health care system in Canada, including its history, the health status of Canadians, health care funding and spending, and health research and data collection. Health care spending in Canada amounts to 11.6% of the country’s gross domestic product and is estimated to have been $200.5 billion Canadian dollars in 2011. Hospitals account for the largest source of health care spending (29%), followed by drugs (16%) and physician spending (14%). Of the total health care spending, 70% is paid for by the public system. Due to the Canadian population being covered by the universal health care system, health data are being collected and can be used to monitor the health care system and inform evidence-based medicine.

Keywords

EN

Canada; delivery of health care; economics; financing; health services

PL

ekonomika zdrowia; finansowanie; Kanada; świadczenie usług zdrowotnych; usługi zdrowotne

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Jagielloński
• Journal: Zdrowie Publiczne i Zarządzanie
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 51–56

Dates

online

2012-12-20

Contributors

author

Iwona A. Bielska

• Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, Queen’s University, Canada

author

Elizabeth M. Hampel

• Department of Psychiatry, Queen’s University, Canada

author

Ana P. Johnson

• Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, Queen’s University, Canada

Identifiers

DOI

10.4467/20842627OZ.12.007.0894