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Health Care, Canadian-Style
dr. philip jacobs, edmonton, health, university of alberta,
Canada has a publicly funded national health-care system known as Medicare. Under the system, Canada’s provinces and territories are responsible for running their own health-care plans and must provide residents with all medically necessary hospital and doctors’ services.
Unlike other nations with universal health-care, Canada’s health-care system is not socialized medicine. Health-care providers operate independently and are not employees of the government.
The system doesn’t pay for everything. “Generally, drugs aren’t covered,” says Dr. Philip Jacobs, a professor of medicine at the University of Alberta. Many people seek private drug coverage insurance, Jacobs says.
Newcomers, Jacobs says, need to start in the system by finding a general practitioner.
Story by Sheila Burke
