Study: Canadians live longer, healthier than Americans; universal health care a factor - Polidicks

[url]http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63R6B520100428[/url] [release]NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Canadians live about three years longer and are healthier than Americans, and the lack of universal healthcare in the United States may be a factor, researchers said on Wednesday. In a study published in BioMed Central's journal Population Health Metrics they said Canadians can expect to live until 79.7 years of age, versus 77.2 years for Americans. A healthy 19-year-old Canadian can expect to have 52 more years of perfect health versus 49.3 more years for Americans. "Canada and the U.S. share a common border and enjoy very similar standards of living, yet life expectancy in Canada is higher than in the U.S.," said David Feeny, of the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, and a co-author of the study. "There are two distinct potential explanations for the gap: differences in access to health care and in the prevalence of poverty." Canadians have a universal healthcare service, which is free at the point of care, whereas Americans' access to health insurance is usually based on employment, income through Medicaid, or age through Medicare, and not universal, according to the study. Healthcare expenditures also have been higher in the United States than in Canada since the 1970s. The findings are based on telephone interviews of 8,688 white Canadians and Americans, to account for the impact of slavery and racial discrimination on health. The interviews were conducted in 2002 and 2003 during the first joint survey by Statistics Canada and the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics to provide fully comparable data. "This data was very high quality, consistent and comparable," Feeny said. Researchers may try to conduct another survey to update new developments in light of the recent healthcare reform measures in the United States, he added. [/release] As an American who strongly supports universal healthcare: :smug:

We are healthier,eh.

Doesn't surprise me at all. I hate out healthcare system. <-- Strong supporter of Universal Healthcare.

:canada:

Well no shit that is kind of obvious. When you can get treated for free, rather then die because you can't afford it.

no america is better because we won ww2 and we have nooks and also president bush is a strong president who has been usurped by the antichrist obama

I'm all for the universal healthcare and all but is 2 years really that big of a difference to be bragging about? That and there are far more people in America than there are in Canada so surely the numbers aren't 100%. [editline]04:37PM[/editline] [QUOTE=lulzbocks;21654450]no america is better because we won ww2 and we have nooks and also president bush is a strong president who has been usurped by the antichrist obama[/QUOTE] I had a dream about you. Are you Jesus?

I thought Canada also had stricter laws on stuff that kills you faster like alcohol and cigarettes also they didn't invent macdonalds.

I'm not suprised.

[QUOTE=Jurikuer;21654457]I'm all for the universal healthcare and all but is 2 years really that big of a difference to be bragging about? That and there are far more people in America than there are in Canada so surely the numbers aren't 100%. [/QUOTE] What do you mean? All of these studies are per capita, not just the gross number of deaths.

Uh, yeah dude. Of course lack of access to healthcare for anyone that isn't rich is going to result in a lower life expectancy.

[QUOTE=Jurikuer;21654457]I'm all for the universal healthcare and all but is 2 years really that big of a difference to be bragging about? That and there are far more people in America than there are in Canada so surely the numbers aren't 100%. [editline]04:37PM[/editline] I had a dream about you. Are you Jesus?[/QUOTE] It`s percentile, not full numbers. And while two years may not be the big deal, the money spent is. I`m assuming they adjusted for population, and it`s still cheaper here. If not, it`s still cheaper here, and if it was done right in the US, would be cheaper than the current shitty system.

Woah, you mean if everyone has access to free healthcare people are healthier than if not everyone has access to healthcare? This just in: Healthcare a factor in good health This is not even an argument for universal healthcare, this is just a declaration of how apparent this ought to be.

this shouldn't be news to anyone

Wooo~ 3 years

proud to be canadian

But how can this be when..[I] "America has the best healthcare in the world[/I]" - Various teapartiers :smug:

I'm Norwegian my country is so fucking epic that micheal moore didn't put it in sicko since we were to awesome.

[QUOTE=Dr Magnusson;21658216]But how can this be when..[I] "America has the best healthcare in the world[/I]" - Various teapartiers :smug:[/QUOTE] The actual treatment you get in American hospitals is "best". It's just going to cost you a fuckton.

[QUOTE=OvB;21659768]The actual treatment you get in American hospitals is "best". It's just going to cost you a fuckton.[/QUOTE] I doubt that.

Canada doesn't actually have universal healthcare. It is true that our hospitals will take anyone, and the waiting system isn't as long, however I'm paying Student Insurance rates right now, through an insurance company :/ Don't believe Micheal Moore.

[QUOTE=Machk;21659873]Canada doesn't actually have universal healthcare. It is true that our hospitals will take anyone, and the waiting system isn't as long, however I'm paying Student Insurance rates right now, through an insurance company :/ Don't believe Micheal Moore.[/QUOTE] Universal healthcare = everyone is insured.

[QUOTE=Klownox;21659849]I doubt that.[/QUOTE] I've experienced both, Being born a citizen of both countries. I'd rather pay (because we can actually afford it) to get treated here then in Canada. It's a lot quicker, and the treatment you get is top notch. I'm not against universal healthcare, I'd just rather pay for better care. You get what you payed for. I have a fuck load of medical problems, I've had my fare share of visits to both American and Canadian hospitals. It's really easy to schedule a surgery here. When I scheduled my hip replacement surgery the doctor pretty much said pick a day that best suits you. No waiting at all, we could have scheduled it the next week. Yet in Canada you have people on long lists in need of life saving surgery, In some cases they will never make it to see that day. Top 1000 hospitals in the world, the first 25 are American: [url]http://hospitals.webometrics.info/top1000.asp[/url] The first Canadian hospital is #56, the next is #82.

[QUOTE=PrismatexV8;21659901]Universal healthcare = everyone is insured.[/QUOTE] D'oh, I misinterpreted. My mistake, rate me boxes.

[QUOTE=Chopstick;21654477]I thought Canada also had stricter laws on stuff that kills you faster like alcohol and cigarettes also they didn't invent macdonalds.[/QUOTE] We created Poutine so kinda balances out.

[QUOTE=lulzbocks;21654450]no america is better because we won ww2 and we have nooks and also president bush is a strong president who has been usurped by the antichrist obama[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://garibaldy.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/reichstag-red-flag.jpg[/IMG]

You know I really think it's not just as simple as socialised health care. You've got to realise that America has greater inequality overall, especially in places like minority ghettos. Canada doesn't have the problem of illegal immigrants also (at least as much as the US)

[QUOTE=CivilProtection;21665812]You know I really think it's not just as simple as socialised health care. You've got to realise that America has greater inequality overall, especially in places like minority ghettos. Canada doesn't have the problem of illegal immigrants also (at least as much as the US)[/QUOTE] But the Russians could just come right over.

[img]http://i39.tinypic.com/2462g7d.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=OvB;21659912]I've experienced both, Being born a citizen of both countries. I'd rather pay (because we can actually afford it) to get treated here then in Canada. It's a lot quicker, and the treatment you get is top notch. I'm not against universal healthcare, I'd just rather pay for better care. You get what you payed for. I have a fuck load of medical problems, I've had my fare share of visits to both American and Canadian hospitals. It's really easy to schedule a surgery here. When I scheduled my hip replacement surgery the doctor pretty much said pick a day that best suits you. No waiting at all, we could have scheduled it the next week. Yet in Canada you have people on long lists in need of life saving surgery, In some cases they will never make it to see that day. Top 1000 hospitals in the world, the first 25 are American: [URL]http://hospitals.webometrics.info/top1000.asp[/URL] The first Canadian hospital is #56, the next is #82.[/QUOTE] Yeah, the best system is obviously one with both.