COST SHARING IN UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE COUNTRIES

Fraser Institute: A prominent feature of Canada’s health care system is the absence of any charge for publicly insured health care services at the point of consumption.  Most developed countries with universal coverage for health care services do not mandate first-dollar coverage. Rather, insurers (whether public or private) typically impose some type of cost sharing for the health care services they cover, including services that are similar to those that are covered by provincial health care plans in Canada.