Final answer:
Health insurance programs in Canada were influenced by both European models and American legislation, with Germany's 1883 law being a notable early example. The significant government involvement in American health insurance began with the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 and later expanded with the Affordable Care Act.
Step-by-step explanation:
The genesis of what Canadians recognize as health insurance programs has its roots in European models and American legislation. The concept of health insurance began in Europe, with Germany passing the Health Insurance Law in 1883, which mandated employer-provided health insurance, followed by other European nations introducing similar programs. In the United States, the turning point for government-involved health insurance was the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Medicare provided federal health insurance for the elderly, and Medicaid provided benefits for low-income individuals, the disabled, and families.
The principle behind such programs is that certain market factors can lead to a point where private health insurance becomes unaffordable or inaccessible for many people, particularly for groups such as the elderly or those on low incomes. Here, the government intervenes to provide directly or heavily subsidize health insurance to ensure wider access and address market failures. This intervention can be seen in contemporary times through the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, which further aimed to expand health insurance coverage and control healthcare costs.