Canada's great and all eh (sorry couldn't help it :), but there's a reason that what, 60%+ of the population lives within 20 miles of the US border.
But from what I know, the canadian system seems more likely to be what the US could transition to than, say the UK system.
FWIW, my understanding is that Canada's system is that the government acts like an insurance company, so rather than all medical facilities being government facilities, they are private and they simply bill the government. In the UK, all facilities are government run, so there is no billing at all [well I'm sure there is behind the scenes].
60% of Canada's population doesn't live within 20 miles of the border. 500 miles maybe. :)
The reason for this is though mainly lies in the weather, and really has nothing to do with anything else. Hell, not many people live in North Dakota either!
Basically, you're correct in your interpretation of how our Health Insurance works. There are caveats (no deductibles, bans on what a private clinic can do, caps on doctor earnings) but generally the system is a good compromise.
According to Wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada, 75% of the population lives within 90 miles. So I was off a bit :). You're likely right about the reason though! (climate)
But from what I know, the canadian system seems more likely to be what the US could transition to than, say the UK system.
FWIW, my understanding is that Canada's system is that the government acts like an insurance company, so rather than all medical facilities being government facilities, they are private and they simply bill the government. In the UK, all facilities are government run, so there is no billing at all [well I'm sure there is behind the scenes].