# UHC/Single Payer in the US...how would you do it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uhc-single-payer-in-the-us-how-would-you-do-it/790433>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 3, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uhc-single-payer-in-the-us-how-would-you-do-it/790433 "2017-07-03T15:09:46Z")\
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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uhc-single-payer-in-the-us-how-would-you-do-it/790433/67 "2017-07-08T13:28:36Z")

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> [@davida03801](#):
>
> Really. What I read about the UK and Canadian systems is quite negative. Please provide the cites with the glowing reviews of either.

**Muffin** provided an interesting set of stats over in the “What is Canada” thread in IMHO, which I’ll just re-post here:

> [@So just what is the 'meaning' of Canada?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-just-what-is-the-meaning-of-canada/790340/54):
>
> Canadians live longer than Americans:  
> 79.3 years = Canadian life expectancy (2001)  
> 77.0 years = American life expectancy (2001)
> 
> Canadians enjoy better health longer than Americans:  
> 69.9 years = Canadian healthy life expectancy (2001)  
> 67.4 = American healthy life expectancy (2001)
> 
> Canadian individuals and insurers do not pay as much as American individuals and insurers:  
> 28 = Canadian private expenditure on health as % of total expenditure on health (2000)  
> 55.7 = American private expenditure on health as % of total expenditure on health (2000)
> 
> Canadian taxpayers do not pay as much for health care as the American taxpayers:  
> $1826 = Canadian per capita government expenditure on health in international dollars (2000)  
> $1992 = American per capita government expenditure on health in international dollars (2000)
> 
> Less of Canada’s GDP is spent on health than the USA’s:  
> 9.1 = Canadian total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2000)  
> 13 = American total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2000)
> 
> World Health Organization stats: [http://www.who.int/whr/2002/annex/en/](http://www.who.int/whr/2002/annex/en/)

So, Canadians pay less public money for UHC than Americans do for non-UHC, and get better results.

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