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)
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.