<P> The United States spends more on technology than Canada . In a 2004 study on medical imaging in Canada, it was found that Canada had 4.6 MRI scanners per million population while the U.S. had 19.5 per million . Canada's 10.3 CT scanners per million also ranked behind the U.S., which had 29.5 per million . The study did not attempt to assess whether the difference in the number of MRI and CT scanners had any effect on the medical outcomes or were a result of overcapacity but did observe that MRI scanners are used more intensively in Canada than either the U.S. or Great Britain . This disparity in the availability of technology, some believe, results in longer wait times . In 1984 wait times of up to 22 months for an MRI were alleged in Saskatchewan . However, according to more recent official statistics (2007), all emergency patients receive MRIs within 24 hours, those classified as urgent receive them in under 3 weeks and the maximum elective wait time is 19 weeks in Regina and 26 weeks in Saskatoon, the province's two largest metropolitan areas . </P> <P> According to the Health Council of Canada's 2010 report "Decisions, Decisions: Family doctors as gatekeepers to prescription drugs and diagnostic imaging in Canada", the Canadian federal government invested $3 billion over 5 years (2000--2005) in relation to diagnostic imaging and agreed to invest a further $2 billion to reduce wait times . These investments led to an increase in the number of scanners across Canada as well as the number of exams being performed . The number of CT scanners increased from 198 to 465 and MRI scanners increased from 19 to 266 (more than tenfold) between 1990 and 2009 . Similarly, the number of CT exams increased by 58% and MRI exams increased by 100% between 2003 and 2009 . In comparison to other OECD countries, including the US, Canada's rates of MRI and CT exams falls somewhere in the middle . Nevertheless, the Canadian Association of Radiologists claims that as many as 30% of diagnostic imaging scans are inappropriate and contribute no useful information . </P> <P> The extra cost of malpractice lawsuits is a proportion of health spending in both the U.S. (1.7% in 2002) and Canada (0.27% in 2001 or $237 million). In Canada the total cost of settlements, legal fees, and insurance comes to $4 per person each year, but in the United States it is over $16 . Average payouts to American plaintiffs were $265,103, while payouts to Canadian plaintiffs were somewhat higher, averaging $309,417 . However, malpractice suits are far more common in the U.S., with 350% more suits filed each year per person . While malpractice costs are significantly higher in the U.S., they make up only a small proportion of total medical spending . The total cost of defending and settling malpractice lawsuits in the U.S. in 2004 was over $28 billion . Critics say that defensive medicine consumes up to 9% of American healthcare expenses., but CBO studies suggest that it is much smaller . </P> <P> There are a number of ancillary costs that are higher in the U.S. Administrative costs are significantly higher in the U.S.; government mandates on record keeping and the diversity of insurers, plans and administrative layers involved in every transaction result in greater administrative effort . One recent study comparing administrative costs in the two countries found that these costs in the U.S. are roughly double what they are in Canada . Another ancillary cost is marketing, both by insurance companies and health care providers . These costs are higher in the U.S., contributing to higher overall costs in that nation . </P>

In canada health care costs per capita are lower than in the us because