A comparison of the healthcare systems in Canada and the United States is
often made by government, public health and public policy analysts. The two
countries had similar healthcare systems before Canada changed its system in
the 1960s and 1970s. The United States spends much more money on healthcare
than Canada, on both a per-capita basis and as a percentage of GDP. In 2006,
per-capita spending for health care in Canada was US$3,678; in the U.S.,
US$6,714. The U.S. spent 15.3% of GDP on healthcare in that year; Canada spent
10.0%. In 2006, 70% of healthcare spending in Canada was financed by
government, versus 46% in the United States. Total government spending per
capita in the U.S. on healthcare was 23% higher than Canadian government
spending. U.S.