Access to medical care: how do women in Canada and the United States compare?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine if access to medical care and utilization of cancer screenings differs between women in the United States and Canada. This study examined this question by comparing women in Canada to women in the United States who have insurance coverage and those who do not. This study used data from the 2002/03 Joint Canada United States Survey of Health and examined access to medical care and cancer screenings. A binary probit model was used to address several measures of access to medical care and cancer screening utilization. This study finds five significant differences between insured American and Canadian women. Canadian women are better off in terms of ever having a mammogram, having a regular doctor, and having access to needed medicine, but fare worse in terms of having had a recent mammogram and having perceived unmet healthcare needs. With the exception of having recent mammograms, there is no statistical difference between uninsured and insured American women. Although this study does not show that one group is strictly better off, it does show that there are significant differences between the two groups of women.