Comparison of the U.S. Healthcare System with the United Kingdom and Essay

Comparison of the U.S. Healthcare System with the United Kingdom and Canada - Essay Example The United States healthcare is provided primarily by the private sector; the government provides about 65 percent of all the healthcare insurance while the rest is provided by the private sector insurance. The United States healthcare uses the highest amount of money in the world per person as compared to other countries, though its structure leaves over 16 percent of its citizens with no medical cover or policy. While the United States healthcare is decentralized, the United Kingdom has a semi-centralized healthcare system whereby each country has its own healthcare that is free to all residents. The United Kingdom healthcare has a relatively small private sector as compared to the public sector that spends much less than the United States, at 8 percent. Canada, on the other hand, has a fully centralized system funded by the government with the private sector only covering the medical procedures not covered by the government’s system. Though elaborate, Canadas healthcare sys tem only accounts for about 10 percent of the gross domestic product, much less than that of the United States. In the United States, 40 million residents are not covered by any healthcare insurance, in contrast with the United Kingdom and Canada, whose medical care is free for all; mainly because the latter two largely depend on taxes while the former depends on the contributions of individuals. According to residents of the three countries, Canada’s have the greatest level of satisfaction in their healthcare system, followed by United Kingdom residents while United States residents are the most dissatisfied. In addition, the United States healthcare is the most expensive among the three.