Monday, February 23, 2004
Universal , single-payer health care lethal to healthier for Canadians
But it's too good for us, apparently. Here:
So, if you want two years hacked off your lifespan, stay with our current, wacky system.
An impressive array of data shows that Canadians live longer, healthier lives than we do. What's more, they pay roughly half as much per capita as we do ($2,163 versus $4,887 in 2001) for the privilege.
By all measures, Canadians' health is better," says Dr. Barbara Starfield, a university distinguished professor at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Canadians "do better on a whole variety of health outcomes," she says, including life expectancy at various ages.
According to a World Health Organization report published in 2003, life expectancy at birth in Canada is 79.8 years, versus 77.3 in the U.S. (Japan's is 81.9.)
So, if you want two years hacked off your lifespan, stay with our current, wacky system.
