We have a HUGE number of immigrants*- many of which come here without documentation and from 3rd world nations. This can raise our infant mortality rates, and our death rates. It can lower our average death age, which of course directly relates to life expectancy. What you’d have to compare is for two sample random groups of American and Canadians, both of whom have been on their nations health plans and what not all their lives. Comparing a person born and raised in Canada to a person who lived for all their in a 3rd world nation with very poor public health, then managed to totter here to the USA and die is unfair. In effect, you’re comparing that 3rd world nationslife expectancy to Canada’s.
Then, this figure “Canadian individuals and insurers do not pay as much as American individuals and insurers:
28 = Canadian private expenditure on health as % of total expenditure on health (2000)
55.7 = American private expenditure on health as % of total expenditure on health (2000)” is meaninlgless, as Canadian pay for a lot of their health benefits through their taxes.
This figure:"Canadian taxpayers do not pay as much for health care as the American taxpayers:
$1826 = Canadian per capita government expenditure on health in international dollars (2000)
$1992 = American per capita government expenditure on health in international dollars (2000) has more validity- and then note the two figures are rather close, within 10% and the figures compare only for a *single year.
*
Sure, there are holes in the USA’s health plans- but there are also scads of complaints about Canada’s too, and both good and bad aguments to be made for socialized medicine. Note that the public here simply don’t want to pay the taxes for a socialized public health plan. Isn[t that democracy?
But you just can’t meaningfuly compare Canada to the USA.
Canada is a Wonderful place BTW, nice people, all that, don’t get me wrong.
not a few of whom are from Canada, note. Canadians come here more than Americans go there.
You need to familiarize yourself with immigration into Canada. Canada’s net immigration rate greatly exceeds that of the USA’s. Canada’s net migration rate: 5.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
USA’s net migration rate: 3.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
(Source: CIA World Factbook http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2112.html)
Try reading all the cites before you post – we pay less through our taxes for health care that Americans. This makes the above cite tremendously significant, for it shows that despite paying less through our taxes for health care, we do not have to pay more out of our pockets individually or through private health care, and that in fact we pay a hell of a lot less individually or through private health care. What it comes down to, is that we have an effective public health care system, whereas the USA has a half-assed public health care system with a monstrously expensive private health care system layered on top of it.
Then pick any number of nations with higher life expectancy, figure out what works, and adapt it to the USA. The simple fact is that the USA is the wealthiest nation in the world, but it does not even come close to breaking the top twenty when it comes to life expectancy. You think that the USA is incomparable? Get over yourself.
If I DID somehow manage to get a job with uber-benefits in, say, one day, I’m not sure that the insurance would cover the procedure. They’d call in the pre-existing condition issue.
