Canada—which adopted universal health care about 50 years ago—can learn from U.S. efforts at health reform, according to a September 3, 2014 Globe and Mail article co-authored by Andrew Boozary, SM ’14, visiting scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard School of Public Health.
“U.S. President Barack Obama’s health reform can be a source of inspiration for Canadians. Especially when the obstacle is ultimately one of political leadership: Where a federal government is being faulted for doing too much, ours seems content in simply writing cheques (checks),” wrote Boozary and co-author Pierre-Gerlier Forest of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
While the success of the Affordable Care Act often is evaluated based on how many uninsured are enrolled—over 20 million so far—the ACA also aims to deliver less costly, more efficient care that is more patient-focused. “This is a challenge that should sound familiar. It’s one most countries are grappling with, including ours,” the authors wrote.
Read the article: What Canada can learn from U.S. health reform