The health systems of Canada and Australia - Essay Example

On the other hand, private healthcare system is majorly financed through private health insurance programs or out of pocket payments by the patients. The healthcare system in Canada is provided through the public funded system. The publicly funded health system is basically free during the point of use, and provides services mostly through the private entities. The Canadian health system is controlled through the 1984 Canadian Health Act. The Canadian government applies the federal standards in determining the healthcare quality.

The health information of the patients is not accessed by the government; this ensures the confidentiality between the patient and the physician. The Medicare systems that are managed provincially in Canada have proved to be cost effective, due to the simplicity in the administration process. In every province, the physician presents the insurance claim on the provincial insurer. The patient is usually not directly involved in the healthcare billing and also the processes of reclamation. The proportion of the expenditure for private health institutions is approximately 30% (Warren, 2008).

The Canadian Health Act is not supposed to cater for the cost of; prescription drugs, dental care, prescription glasses, long term care and homecare. This implies that patients cater for these health expenses through cash payments or private insurance. However, the provinces cater for partial costs of the health services not covered from the health act, for the vulnerable members of the society like children and elderly citizens. Competitive practices such as advertising are controlled. This ensures the maximization of revenues that are used directly in the healthcare.

The health costs are generally catered for by the income tax funding. The Canada Health Act does not allow user fees; however, some doctors charge the yearly fees for the non-essential services such as doctors’ notes and prescription