Medicare () is an unofficial designation used to refer to the publicly-funded single-payer healthcare system of Canada. Canada's health care system consists of 13 provincial and territorial health insurance plans, which provide universal healthcare coverage to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and certain temporary residents. The systems are individually administered on a provincial or territorial basis, within guidelines set by the federal government. The formal terminology for the insurance system is provided by the Canada Health Act and the health insurance legislation of the individual provinces and territories. The name is a contraction of medical and care and has been used in the United States for health care programs since at least 1953, with Medicare becoming that nation's official national health insurance program in 1965. Under the terms of the Canada Health Act, all "insured persons" are entitled to receive "insured services" without copayment. Such services are defined as medically-necessary services if provided in hospital or by practitioners (usually physicians). Approximately 70 percent of expenditures for health care in Canada come from public sources, with the rest paid
Medicare es una designación no oficial utilizada para referirse al sistema de atención médica de pago único financiado públicamente de Canadá. El sistema de atención médica de Canadá consta de 13 planes de seguro de salud provinciales y territoriales, que proporcionan cobertura de atención médica universal a los ciudadanos canadienses, residentes permanentes y ciertos residentes temporales. Los sistemas se administran individualmente en una base provincial o territorial, dentro de las directrices establecidas por el gobierno federal. La terminología formal para el sistema de seguro está prevista por la Ley de Salud de Canadá y la legislación de seguro de salud de las provincias y territorios individuales. El nombre es una contracción de atención médica y cuidado y ha sido utilizado en los Estados Unidos para programas de atención médica desde al menos 1953, con Medicare convirtiéndose en el programa de seguro de salud nacional oficial de la nación en 1965.