The Difference between the US and Canada

Here are two stories about doctor shortages. The first from the US for mental health patients in crisis. The hospital board raised money to hire two new psychiatrists which prompted the program manager to say "They really did work hard to make sure that money didn't turn into more bureaucracy,".

The second story is from Owen Sound, Ontario (a large but remote city) where the loss of a single ER physician may cause the closure of an ER department. In this case, the hospital is hoping for help from a provincial group to help recruit a new physician.

My take is that this goes to the point of funding and responsibility. Where the US hospital is paid directly by the patient they raise money from the community to maintain the business model. In Canada, the hospital is funded through the government so they turn to them. At some point we need to re-connect the payee and the provider if not entirely through direct pay certainly through some sort of funding model.