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US Compared And Contrasted To England
US Compared And Contrasted To England
Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc380420938” Similarities PAGEREF _Toc380420938 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc380420939” Food and entertainment PAGEREF _Toc380420939 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc380420940” Religion PAGEREF _Toc380420940 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc380420941” The Family Environment PAGEREF _Toc380420941 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc380420942” Differences PAGEREF _Toc380420942 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc380420943” Personal lives PAGEREF _Toc380420943 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc380420944” Values PAGEREF _Toc380420944 h 3
HYPERLINK l “_Toc380420945” Lifestyle PAGEREF _Toc380420945 h 4
Both the US and UK are comparable in various ways with regard to their culture but also differ significantly in some cultural aspects. The two countries have diverse backgrounds with regard to the origin of their cultures, which makes it similar in some aspects, and vary in others. America’s culture, for instance is characterized of a cultural mish-mash considering that the country is vastly a nation of immigrants. The UK culture, on the other hand, is also diverse in its own way considering that it is made up of the Scots, Welsh and the English people. With the consideration of the cultural traits and diversities of the two cultures, this essay aims at establishing some comparisons between the US and the UK culture and the existing contrasts between them.
SimilaritiesFood and entertainment
The U.K and U.S share certain similarities even in the presence of differing cultural practises. Both cultures have similarities when it comes to food and the kind of entertainment they enjoy. This can be seen in the similarity of food brands shared across these countries, for instance Cadbury and Kellogg’s cereals (Amanda). When it comes to entertainment in the US, shows such as American Idol and The Office are comparable to the Pop Idol and Dancing on Ice versions enjoyed in the UK. The two further have various versions of reality shows, with the UK for instance enjoying Britain’s Got Talent and Americans having America’s Got Talent (Amanda). As such, these cultures enjoy similar food and entertainment types to some extent.
ReligionBoth the US and UK practice religion on a personal level whereby there is no state, nor cultural pushing for one to be religious. In the two countries, churchgoers believe that being religious simply means belonging to a church or attending a church regularly. However, many individuals attend church only on special holidays like Easter and Christmas and still consider themselves as Christians. Even in Britain where the Christianity religion was once held in high regard, religion nowadays have little place in peoples lives just as in America (Amanda). Many individuals in these countries do not consider going to church so fashionable and only choose to go when they feel like.
The Family EnvironmentThe family environment of both the US and UK cultures is similar largely with regard to the values, composition and activities. In both cultures, the immediate family is composed of the mother, father, and children. In both cultures though, this trend is changing with the continued rise of single parents. Children are expected to contribute to the family by doing household chores and are usually empowered concerning their rights and privileges (Amanda). The family life in both cultures have, however experienced some dynamic changes due to the presence of high divorce rates and extra marital relationships, hence some choose not to marry legally, or go on to have contractual marriages.
DifferencesPersonal lives
Just as there exists a difference in language between the US and UK, a further difference exists between their cultures in terms of customs, attitudes, opinions, and reactions. A contrast in the personal lives of Americans exists when compared to the personal life of the UK people. With regard to these, Americans are more open than the UK people.. In America, friends, together with their acquaintances discuss personal thoughts and opinions. In the UK, this behavior may seem to be intrusive of ones privacy, highlighting the differences between the two in the way approach their personal lives (Fulbright Commission). In the same line, Americans are not embarrassed to ask a fellow colleague private or presumptuous questions. In this case, such a person is usually in many cases sincerely curious with regard to somebody’s thoughts and feelings, and assumes that the individual would be willing to share them. Still in the aspect of personal lives, Americans are usually very much interested in knowing a person’s background and experiences when they meet them for the first time. This is in addition to other discussions concerning their personal lives. Such discussions are considered intrusive to someone’s privacy in the UK culture (Fulbright Commission). With regard to these, Americans are considered polite when compared to the UK people, the characterization of this being the welcoming attitude of greeting everyone, including strangers.
ValuesThe belief in values in America is observed, by the fact that Americans control their statuses by how much they work. Their work ethic is further reflected in their attitudes toward academics. As such, majority of students in America spend a great deal of their free time studying in libraries. This is enabled by the fact that Americans tend to care much about punctuality than their UK peers (Fulbright Commission). For Americans, everything including classes and lunch dates are expected to be done exactly on time. Though punctuality is also observed in the UK especially when it comes to attending meetings, its’ quite acceptable to arrive either on time or 30 minutes late for a party. Along with this, majority of activities in the US moves at a faster pace than in UK. An example of this is seen in restaurants whereby dinners can be done with in under a half hour and the bill availed without asking for it, something that lacks in many parts of the UK (Fulbright Commission). Many Americans also tend to be more patriotic than their UK counterparts. The growing up of American children is characterized by recitation of their allegiance to their country as a means of instilling these ideals in their children’s minds (Fulbright Commission). This is not to mean that the UK people are not patriotic to their country, it is just that Americans express it more openly. Just as most of the Americans do not appreciate sarcastic humor, they further do not appreciate self-depreciating humor either with regard to their country or even in anything else.
LifestyleThe difference between US and UK cultures with regard to lifestyle is typically evident through the various activities that constitute their lifestyle, such as sports, music preference and drinking and eating etiquette. The most preferred sport in the US during winter, for instance, is football and hockey, while the British enjoy rugby and soccer (British Expats). Differences in customs are also prevalent when it comes to legality in terms of the acceptable age of legal drinking and sexual consent. In the American culture, sexual consent and legal drinking age is 18 and 21 years respectively, while the British sexual consent and legal drinking age is 16 and 18 years respectively (British Expats). The difference in terms of their music preference also exists with the British embracing the pop culture more than the Americans.
Works cited
Amanda. Compare and Contrast: America and British Culture, 2011. WordPress.com
British Expats. Cultural differences between the US and the UK, 2007. BritishExpats.com
Fulbright Commission. Cultural Differences, 2013. Web. 6. March. 2013.< HYPERLINK “http://www.fulbright.org.uk/pre-departure/us-culture/cultural-differences”http://www.fulbright.org.uk/pre-departure/us-culture/cultural-differences >
US and Canada Healthcare Systems
Comparing US and Canadian Healthcare Systems
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Introduction
The US and Canada had similar healthcare systems five decades ago. However, changes carried out more recently in the Canadian healthcare system have led to significant differences with the US healthcare system, although there are still some similarities. Despite the fact that there are still some weaknesses in the Canadian healthcare system, reports produced by public policy and public health analysis have shown that the Canadian healthcare system is better than the US healthcare system. The US can, thus, use the Canadian healthcare system as a model for improving its healthcare system. This paper offers an overview of the healthcare systems of the two countries. Also, it explores similarities and differences in the two systems and gives some recommendations on how the US can improve its healthcare system through learning from the nature of the Canadian healthcare system.
Overview of the US healthcare system
Healthcare in the US is offered by different, distinct institutions. Around 58 percent of the community health facilities in the US are owned and run by non-profit organizations. The government owns around 21 percent of the community healthcare facilities and 21 percent of these facilities are owned by private organizations that focus on making profit (Burnham, 2015). The US spends a lot of funds on healthcare. In 2011, the US spent $8,608 on healthcare per capita, which was higher than spending all other country across the world (Burnham, 2015).
Around 60 percent to 65 percent of the money allocated to healthcare services in the US is spent on programs such as the Veterans Health Administration, Medicaid, Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program. Workers employed in the public sector are provided with health insurance by the government. Around 67 percent of the US citizens are provided with health insurance cover by their employers or family members’ employers (Burnham, 2015). Some people purchase their own health insurance. Around 16 percent of the US citizens do not have health insurance.
Overview of the Canadian healthcare system
Although healthcare in Canada is mostly offered by private entities, it is mainly funded by the government. The private sector provides around 30 percent of the healthcare financing. The provision of healthcare in Canada is guided by the Canada Health Act that was enacted in 1984. Most of the healthcare services in Canada are free. However, the citizens usually pay out of their pocket for services such as prescription for dental care and glasses, long-term care or home care and prescription for drugs (Marchildon, 2013). However, provincial administrations sometimes offer partial coverage for such services. Canadian federal government has established standards that are meant to ensure that citizens are offered with quality healthcare services (Marchildon, 2013).
An individual’s health information is kept confidential between the patient and the healthcare provider. Even the government does not have access to healthcare information of individuals. The simplicity of administration in charge of providing healthcare services makes the process of offering healthcare services cost effective. Also, costs such as marketing are kept at minimum, leading to low costs of healthcare services provision (Marchildon, 2013).
Similarities
There are several similarities between the healthcare systems of the US and Canada. Firstly, the government and private institutions work together to provide healthcare services in both countries. In both countries, emphasis is put on providing adequate training to healthcare professionals. Both countries have standards that are used to determine whether an individual is qualified to provide healthcare services or not.
Further, both countries have been investing heavily to improve the quality of healthcare services offered to citizens. However, there are some negative aspects of healthcare systems of the two countries. In both countries, issues have been raised regarding waiting times. Patients wait for long hours before they are offered with healthcare services. In both countries, there are limited programs to offer prescriptions for drugs.
Differences
There are also several key differences in the healthcare systems of the US and Canada. Firstly, every legal citizen of Canada is provided with health insurance, while not all US citizens have access to health care insurance. As mentioned earlier, around 16 percent of the US citizens do not have health insurance (Nadeau et al., 2014). Secondly, healthcare spending per capita in the US is much higher per capita than healthcare spending in Canada. Administration overheads are higher in healthcare institutions in the US than in Canada (Nadeau et al., 2014). Per capita spending in 2004 by the government was around $US1, 893. While the US government spending on healthcare is usually around 21 percent, per capita spending in 2004 was $2,728. Healthcare financing by private institutions is higher in the US than in Canada (Nadeau et al., 2014).
In Canada, the government has a single channel for funding healthcare services, through private institutions that are assigned the task. On the other hand, the US government has many channels, such Veterans Health Administration, Medicaid, Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program. The US spends more on technology for healthcare services than Canada. The proportion of lawsuits associated with healthcare malpractices is much higher in the US than in Canada (Nadeau et al., 2014).
Evaluation of the Current US System
There are some key issues on the US healthcare system that ought to be addressed. Firstly, the US system fails to offer universal health insurance to all citizens. There are people who are not provided with healthcare insurance may not have enough income to purchase quality healthcare services. Such individuals are likely to suffer when they face health problems. The US system fails to support them to access quality healthcare services, yet they pay taxes (Burnham, 2015).
Secondly, the US system incurs costs that are associated with high administration expenses, yet this does not guarantee an improvement in the quality of healthcare services offered to citizens. The long waiting time and lack of adequate programs to offer prescriptions for drugs affects the quality of healthcare services offered to US citizens. Higher level of malpractices by healthcare providers than in Canada leads to a reduction in quality of healthcare services.
Conclusion and Recommendations for Improving the US system
Overall, the US and Canadian healthcare systems have some similarities and differences and they have some strengths and weaknesses. However, the US system seems to have more weaknesses than the Canadian system. The US system should be improved in various ways. Firstly, the government should work with private institutions to ensure that all citizens have access to healthcare insurance. The government can set aside funds to support health insurance to individuals who do not have access to it (Burnham, 2015).
Secondly, the government should establish ways of reducing administration costs. This can be achieved through offering health insurance through one channel like in Canada, rather than using many channels. Also, there is a need to establish programs for drug prescription. The healthcare providers in the US should be taught how to respond quickly to patients in order to reduce waiting time. The issue of malpractice can be addressed through ensuring that all healthcare providers have adequate training and they follow established rules of conduct. Stern actions should be taken to healthcare providers who intentionally engage in malpractices (Burnham, 2015).
References
Burnham, J. C. (2015). Health Care in America: A History. Maryland: JHU Press
Marchildon, G. P. (2013). The Healthcare System In Transitions: Canada. Toronot: University
of Toronto Press
Nadeau, R., Bélanger, E., Pétry, F., Soroka, S. N. & Maioni, A. (2014). Health Care Policy and
Opinion in the United States and Canada. New York, NY: Routledge, 2014