Final answer:
The universality principle of Medicare signifies that it provides access for all eligible residents to necessary health services without financial or other barriers. This reflects the commitment to ensuring universal health coverage and contrasts with select private insurance models.
Step-by-step explanation:
The universality principle of Medicare means access for all. This principle ensures that all eligible residents have access to the necessary health services without financial or other barriers. In Canada, healthcare is publicly funded through taxes and administered by the provincial and territorial governments, though healthcare providers are private. By contrast, in the United States, Medicare offers insurance primarily to people over sixty-five years old and some younger individuals with disabilities. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, aimed to provide all Americans with access to affordable health insurance and required everyone to acquire some form of health insurance or face a penalty.