One of the biggest debates in American society today is the current state of healthcare. While many propose adopting a single-payer government run healthcare system, others prefer a privatized system. The Canadian healthcare system provides a good example of a government run healthcare system that many in the United States prefer. In order to determine if the Canadian healthcare system would be worth adopting, both a close examination of the Canadian healthcare system and an analysis of the current state of the American healthcare system are needed.

While Canada’s healthcare system is categorized as a single-payer system, it is important to note that it does not function as a rigid, monolithic system. Health coverage is publicly funded by both federal and provincial taxes, but specifically administered by local provinces. Canadians have the advantage of being able to see any doctor they want, not limited to doctors in a specific group like many private American health insurance plans. Most healthcare providers in Canada are non-profit, with expenses being billed to the federal government, allowing all Canadian residents to have “free” healthcare, It is also important to note that unlike many other countries with a government run health care plan, Canada only provides free healthcare to residents of Canada, as short-term visitors are forced to pay directly for their medical coverage. While Canadian residents do not directly pay for their healthcare, healthcare is collected through taxation, costing most taxpayers roughly $5,000 to $6,000 a year. One drawback of Canada’s health system is that surgeries that are not considered life threatening or appointments with specialty doctors can result in longer waiting times, as these cases are addressed in the order that a medical facility prioritizes them.

The American healthcare system is essentially a hybrid system involving both private and government funded healthcare. Medical care for individuals who cannot afford private health insurance is provided through Medicaid, a program funded through state and federal taxation, and administered by individual states. Medical care for individuals 65 and older is provided through Medicare and funded by the federal government through Social Security. Medicaid either completely or partially covers an individual’s medical costs depending on the individual’s financial status, whereas Medicare requires at least a minimal expense to the individual. Most of the remaining Americans not covered under Medicaid or Medicare have their medical care funded by private health insurance programs. Health coverage on the private insurance market costs Americans roughly $5,000 a year. One advantage of the American healthcare system is that one can generally get non-life-threatening medical care on their timetable and not have to worry about being put on a wait list if the specific medical facility doesn’t highly prioritize that individual’s condition.

In conclusion, the Canadian healthcare system is a little bit overrated. Because overall healthcare costs are similar for the average Canadian and American citizen, whether a citizen pays for them directly to a doctor or health insurance company or indirectly through taxation doesn’t seem to be a significant difference. It is also important to note that the United States has a massive military presence throughout the world and a population nearly 9 times larger than Canada. The United States government simply cannot afford to adopt the Canadian healthcare system. The United States would gain more from evaluating why medical costs are so high and how to lower them, than simply finding new ways to pay for them.

https://www.aimseducation.edu/blog/us-vs-canadian-healthcare-differences/

Ranking the Best Healthcare in the World by Country

https://pocketsense.com/pros-cons-of-canadas-free-health-care-12213963.html

https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-financing-how-does-it-work-and-what-are-the-implications/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/09/americans-spend-twice-as-much-on-health-care-today-as-in-the-1980s.html

The 21st century has witnessed a lot of dramatic events starting from the introduction of the first iPod by Steve Jobs, to the stunning rave for hourglass body shapes as seen on the likes of Kim Kardashian. Remarkably, these happenings have intensely restructured people’s values and life choices.

More awareness on the importance of taking control of what one needs to lead a satisfactory life has been created, and there is obviously no going back on this landmark discovery.One of such requirements for a fulfilling life is diet. Food and snacks especially.

While food can be termed as the most important, all-encompassing meal intentionally taken for growth and development, snacks are taken in-between meals to sustain hunger and cure the boredom of the mouth. There appeared to be a relentless urge by the food and snack industry to feed the world’s populace with saturated fats and much carbohydrates through popular and tasty fast foods, and scantily clad vegetable burgers.

Nonetheless, the industry grew in leaps and bounds with more people eating their way to early outings executed behind emergency ambulances as a result of the increasing prevalence of health conditions, including cardiovascular diseases. The call for healthy foods and snacks became persistent; the internet served as a vehicle for transmitting the essence of eating healthy to live longer, TV and Radio stations lucratively entertained nutritionists and advocates who openly condemned cravings for foods meant for the incinerators.

The Change That Took Place In Dieting

As more food and snacks consumers grew in the knowledge they were fed with, almost on a daily basis, their choices for the right path to health through eating soon got extended. Therefore, many resorted to homemade foods and snacks packed with essential polyunsaturated fats, more proteins, more vegetables and of course, more water. With the migration came an awakening of the food and snacks industry all over the world, to the now popular demand for healthier options to life-shortening foods and snacks.

According to Nielsen Global Health & Wellness Survey, Q3 2014, 75% of the world population are consistently changing their diets in order to lose weight. More persons in the North American continent are quite dedicated in the art of weight loss through healthy eating, followed by the human inhabitants of Europe.

Strategies Adopted by The Food and Snacks Industry

In order to attract and keep consumers, the food and snacks industry has adopted strategies to ensure there is no deviation from the set route that leads to living in health. The strategies include:

• Pairing of beverages with fresh animal proteins as snacks

• Merging fruits, nuts and meats in one package

• Creating food options that gave vegans a chance to access their desired food types

• Advertising the need for healthy eating with catchy slogans in bright colors

• Utilizing attractive packages that are irresistible to consumers’ touch

With many stepping down on their chocolates and sugar consumption, most foods and snacks are now less-sweetened and more freshly packaged.

Fears that fast foods could poison health with extremely junk foods are not substantial anymore. Lots of fruits assembled and sold as snacks can be seen in almost every eatery. Smoothies consisting of the right combination of solid and squashy fruits or vegetables are notably processed at sight for ready consumption.

Therefore, as people increasingly become what they eat, the industry that saves the day through food and snacks, become more of partners in health.

Over the years there have been endless discussions on the world, its demographics and where we are all heading. There has been numerous analogies from various speakers, text and researchers citing the end of the world, population decline and economic downturn.

Lingering questions

But, are we really heading toward a population implode? Is the world really coming to an end? Will there ever be a great financial depression or will we continue to make less and less children until the last of us die and humankind, as we know it, will become extinct?

These are some of the questions raised by many over and over again, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk back in 2017. Musk boldly stated that the world is heading towards a collapse. His statement lead to a widespread reaction.

Population growth/decline

It appears, according to various history writers, that in the year 1, there was a mere 200 million people living on earth. As time passed and we continued to procreate, this number gradually increased with huge spikes at certain times.

Take for example the year 1900, according to the writers at thoughtco, this year started with a world population of exactly 1.6 billion, however, over a period of 50 years, the world’s population grew by almost a billion people.

If we continue to look through history, all that we have noticed is a steady growth in the world’s population. The United Nations has corroborated this trend by giving a forecast of continued population growth. The UN has forecast a population growth of almost 2 billion by the year 2050 ariving at 11.2 billion by 2100.

World Economy

This is where we believe the fear of an economic crises lies. In order to have a stable world economy a few things are needed, work force, consistent output and stable inflation.

What we see happening in the more developed countries such as the US, Denmark, China and Singapore, is a decline in their citizens’ ability to reach their country’s replacement fertility rate.

What this essentially means is that people are making less babies or not enough babies. A decline in procreation, if coupled with a short life expectancy rate, could lead to lessened spending power, earning power, less productivity (which means less output) and by extension a potential economic downturn. Will this ever happen? We are not sure, because as covered above, population decline seems not to be a real issue for the rest of the world.

Life Expectancy

Worldwide, the average life expectancy rate was 70.5 years according to the United Nations World Population Prospects 2015 Revision. However, a later study carried out by the World Factbook cites a much lower rate of 69 years (67 years for males and 71.1 years for females).

While life expectancy seems to have dropped of recent times, there has been an increase over the previous years. The introduction of technology in the medical field coupled with a generally more educated population has led to an increase in the past.

Education and Technology

These two features have worked hand-in-hand and has impacted the way we live in a major way. Our lives have changed from telegrams, to telephones and mobile phones; and this change continues.

We believe that it is because of increased education and technology that we have reached a point of having so many unanswered questions. Over 83.% of the world’s population over the age of 15 can read and write with the only less than a billion illiterate adults concentrated in only 8 countries.

Will education and technology be our enemy or our friend? Only time will tell but what we do know is that they have been good to us thus far.

3D Orthodontics is a fairly new dentistry field. It involves integrating 3D technology into orthodontics to virtually create a digital model of a patient’s teeth. This then enables the process of repositioning the teeth to be easy, fast, and highly accurate.

They say change is inevitable and usually there is a lot of mixed reactions. The change, in this case, is none other than 3D orthodontics. Before you start judging too quickly, we will take a quick tour into the benefits of 3D orthodontics. But first, a small revelation.

Having a perfect smile is usually a major confidence builder and everybody envies such a smile. It is therefore important to visit the dentist’s regularly for a thorough dental check-up. The 3D imaging and printing technology has just made the visits to the dentists more effective. How may you ask? Let us delve into some of the pros of the technology.

• Patients are more trusting

No matter how hard it is to believe, some dental patients do not have faith in the conventional dental check-ups. Of course, 3D orthodontics only does some of the work but this is a major game changer. The fact that the results of the scans appear in 3D, there is a high chance that this will erase the patient’s skepticism towards a visit to the dentists.

• Accuracy and comfortability

The traditional method, that is, biting the impression material is unpleasant and to some extent nauseating. With 3D orthodontics, you can say goodbye to this feeling. A simple and quick intra-oral scan gives off the needed details without any discomfort. For accuracy, especially in 3D printing models, the 3D imaging captures the exact form of your teeth. Something that the impression material could not, particularly if it stayed in the mouth longer than expected.

• Prevents future problems in children

Thanks to 3D orthodontics, amazing inventions like clear aligners are available.

• It is more appealing

The traditional braces are effective for teeth alignment but the sad truth is, they are not visually appealing. 3D orthodontics is flexible and equipped for an Invisalign. The Invisalign uses plastic aligners to align and straighten the teeth. Compared to the conventional metal braces, Invisalign is less painful and the results are pleasing.

• Time Saver

Without 3D digital imaging technology in dentistry industry, small orthodontic care took ages. But now, you can have the smile you have been longing for within no time. Dentists can design the appropriate treatment in a blink of an eye.

• Adult orthodontics is now possible

Looks like 3D orthodontics is great news for the adults. Initially, adult orthodontics was scarce and often not much could be done. The new trend in the dentistry field has found the solution to this and many other problems. People have gathered enough knowledge on teeth straightening and can now be part miling crew’ after undergoing 3D orthodontic care.

Really, there is no telling how far the benefits of the new technology in dentistry go. Increasing accuracy, comfortability, saving time and enabling healthy teeth growth in children are just but a few on the list of benefits. Smile with confidence by visiting a dentist with 3D orthodontic care services.