I thought I’d give my fellow Libs in the U.S. a heads-up on this very interesting study that you may want to use when backing up your arguments with respect to a national health care system for the U.S.

From the Toronto Star:

Health outcomes for patients in Canada are as good as or better than in the United States, even though per capita spending is higher south of the border, suggest Canadian and U.S. researchers who crunched data from 38 studies.

Cheaper AND better?!

Follow me below and I’ll provide a summary of the article…
Here are the details on the cost per capita.  One of the authors of the article in Open Medicine, Dr. P.J. Devereaux, explains:

…in the United States, they’re currently spending a little over $7,100 per individual on health care annually, whereas in Canada we’re spending a little over $2,900 per individual annually…

That’s right!  Americans spend more than twice what Canadians spend on healthcare.  One of the reasons, of course, is a more regulated drug industry north of the border.  Other reasons cited are inefficiencies with the insurance industry.

As for the “quality” of health care — this surprised me, I must admit.  All Canadians have access to health care — no matter your income level.  However, there seems to be no trade-off when looking at how effective the system is with the most important metric — your health.

Researchers began by asking the question: Are there differences in health outcomes (mortality or morbidity) in patients suffering from similar medical conditions treated in Canada versus those treated in the United States?

“Overall, Canada did better, and in fact we found a statistically significant five per cent mortality advantage to people with diagnoses in Canada compared to their counterparts in the United States,” Devereaux said.

Canada seemed to really shine with Dialyses care, noted by the study.

For Canada, this study should solidify the importance of a public health care system.  My country has been debating whether or not to move towards a 2-tiered system — God forbid!  For the U.S., it contradicts a myth that more money pumped into a health system means that the citizens get better health care.

0 0 votes
Article Rating