Nov 25 2008
Follow-up: US and Canadian Health Care
This is a follow-up to my earlier blog (11/23) concerning the US and Canadian health care systems.
Click here to see the original blog entry.
Barbara from South Carolina responded:
“Boy, that’s the truth. I’m currently in nursing school and the numbers we were told were (1) 1/3 of total US healthcare costs are spent on people who are dead within a month, and (2) 1/2 of total US healthcare costs are spent on people who are dead within six months.
(Regarding quality), we should also mention that life expectancy is longer in Canada than in the US. Canada ranks 8th in average life expectancy (81.16 years) while the US ranks 46th (78.14).
My response:
Good point about the life expectancy, Barbara, but the difference has to do with life style rather than the health care systems.
US citizens drive too fast for the traffic, have more stress, smoke more, drink more, exercise less and eat more junk food. In other words, Canadians generally take better care of their bodies.
