The United States spends twice as much as a percentage of GDP on health care as does Canada. And for all the failings of our system, the principle of universal and portable health care remains intact. In the US, an estimated 40 million Americans have no coverage, and millions more are losing their insurance because they can’t afford the premiums. The one-sixth of the American economy represented by health care costs adds up to “an almost unimaginable $2.3 trillion,” writes Robin Sears. “That is nearly twice the size of Canada’s GDP and is more than $10,000 for every American family.” But, he adds, there is no reason for complacency on this side of the border where, despite some reforms and economies of scale, costs are also reaching unsustainable levels.

Read Robin Sears’ latest contribution to Policy Options.