Observations and impressions of the Canadian health care system

The United States government, in its desire to deliver broad health care coverage to its citizens, has looked to several of the established socialized health care systems for direction. There are definitely good points in each system, and the Canadian system, in particular, has done quite well in providing services within a limited federal budget. On the other hand, the unlimited access to care has led to increased demands for health care services, overperformance of services, and excessive utilization of facilities. There are major technological constraints now emerging and the fiscal integrity of the system is shaky. There is a notable decrease in research and voluntary faculty participation at university levels. Financial constraints are becoming more severe and it appears that demand vis-a-vis the resources available will soon force stringent readjustments in Canadian health care delivery and funding. Health care plan administrators concede that unless more dollars are invested in the system, the current level of health care delivery cannot be maintained.