Survey results released Thursday by the non-profit Angus Reid Institute indicate that Canadians have less access to their family doctors than Americans.
In Canada, healthcare is publicly funded, according to AIMS Education. In the U.S., people typically obtain coverage through private companies.
“The data show that while a near-identical number of adults on both sides of the border report having a family doctor, Americans are twice as likely to have easy access to a timely appointment,” said the Angus Reid survey results.
Separate surveys were conducted by the institute in Canada and the U.S. last month. A sample of 2,279 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum were surveyed from Aug. 8 to Aug. 10 and a sample of 1,209 American adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum were surveyed from Aug. 16 to Aug. 17.
Around 41% of Canadians said it is difficult to get an appointment right away, compared to 24% of Americans. Additionally, 36% of Americans said they are able to get an appointment in a day or two, double the number of Canadians who answered the same, and 32% of Canadians said they have seen their doctors virtually over the past year, compared to 8% of Americans.
Both countries are facing a physician shortage, said Angus Reid.
While Canada has a “single-payer” healthcare system, “it doesn’t function as one single, unified system,” said AIMS. “Some estimates, such as those of the Fraser Institute, put the average cost at about $5,789 a year per person,” for the Canadian system, it said.
The U.K. also has healthcare covered by a single payer system, the British National Health Service. However, unlike Canada, all providers in that system are government employees.
In the U.S., most healthcare plans are usually provided through private companies and some public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid are offered.
According to Angus Reid, the recent surveys are the second part in a three-part series. Apart from finding it difficult to get appointments with their doctors, Canadians said it was challenging to book appointments with specialists.
“The lack of an intimate relationship with health care through a family physician is causing Canadians considerable consternation and compounding their ability to receive adequate care,” said the institute.
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