Vong
05-31-2006, 12:55 PM
from ctv.ca
Canadians healthier than Americans, study says
Updated Tue. May. 30 2006 11:31 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Canadians are healthier and have better access to health care than U.S. residents. And, according to a new study, Canadians obtain better care for half of what Americans spend on their medical system.
"The data is clear and really irrefutable: Canadians are healthier than Americans and they have better access to medical care," Dr. Steffy Woolhandler of the Harvard Medical School said Tuesday. She added that medical care is easier to access for Canadians.
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, was conducted by Harvard Medical School researchers. They also found that:
- Canadians were seven per cent more likely to have a regular doctor
- Canadians were 19 per cent less likely than Americans to have their health needs go unmet.
- Americans were more than twice as likely to forgo needed medicines because of cost.
- Discrepancies in health care become even wider when taking into account income, age, sex, race and immigrant status. In those kind of detailed comparisons, Canadians were 33 per cent more likely to have a regular doctor and 27 per cent less likely to have an unmet health need.
Meanwhile, Americans had higher rates of nearly every serious chronic disease, including obesity, diabetes and chronic lung disease, even though U.S. residents were less likely to be smokers.
"We pay almost twice what Canada does for care, more than $6,000 for every American, yet Canadians are healthier, and live two to three years longer," said Dr. David Himmelstein, an associate professor at Harvard and study co-author.
This first-ever cross-national health survey analyzed data from the Joint Canada/U.S. Survey of Health, with data collected by Statistics Canada and the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.
It follows a similar study released earlier this month that found white, middle-aged Americans were less healthy than their British counterparts, who spent half as much on health care.
In the latest study, the researchers suggest the biggest barrier to health care in the United States is cost.
More than seven times as many U.S. residents reported going without needed care due to cost, compared to Canadians.
Uninsured U.S. residents were particularly vulnerable, with 30.4 per cent having an unmet health need due to cost, the study reported.
CTV's Avis Favaro said the study found Canadians wait, on average, three times more than Americans for medical treatment.
"But when you look at the actual number, it was aa little over three per cent waiting for medical treatment, which is a tiny proportion when you look at the big picture, although doctors and patients might disagree with that," she said.
Lead author Dr. Karen Lasser said that, while Canada gets negative press about long wait times for medical procedures, the health system seems to work better.
"No one ever talks about the fact that low-income and minority patients fare better in Canada," said Lasser, a primary care doctor at Cambridge Health Alliance and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. "Based on our findings, if I had to choose between the two systems for my patients, I would choose the Canadian system hands down."
Dr. Raisa Deber of the University of Toronto said the message of the study is that "the sky is not falling."
"The take-home message is: When you compare Canada to the United States, Canada is spending a lot less money to get better results," said Deber, who specializes in health policy, management and evaluation.
"There are small improvement in places that could be fixed and could be made better. But on average the system is working quite well."
The one problem noted in the study: About 21 per cent of Canadian women were not receiving recommended cervical cancer screening.
"However, death rates from cervical cancer have long been lower in Canada than in the United States, presumably reflecting past screening practices and population risk factors," the study said.
The Joint Canada/U.S. Survey of Health surveyed 3,505 Canadians and 5,183 U.S. residents between November 2002 and March 2003.
The study will be published in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
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This news comes as growing support for an American-style health care system is being called for in some places in Canada.
It's interesting to see that American's pay more for health care than we do, while we pay less and get a "better" system. Avis Favaro last night in her broadcast that Canadians pay $4,000 per person on health care taxes each year. By paying alittle bit more each year, the "gaps" in our health care system would be improved.
I don't mind paying more taxes for health care, but I worry for the low income families who can barely get by and how a tax increase would affect them.
I'm also quite sure that this is also the next topic in Michael Moore's next documentary. And I'm sure he'll also be comparing our two systems.
Canadians healthier than Americans, study says
Updated Tue. May. 30 2006 11:31 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Canadians are healthier and have better access to health care than U.S. residents. And, according to a new study, Canadians obtain better care for half of what Americans spend on their medical system.
"The data is clear and really irrefutable: Canadians are healthier than Americans and they have better access to medical care," Dr. Steffy Woolhandler of the Harvard Medical School said Tuesday. She added that medical care is easier to access for Canadians.
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, was conducted by Harvard Medical School researchers. They also found that:
- Canadians were seven per cent more likely to have a regular doctor
- Canadians were 19 per cent less likely than Americans to have their health needs go unmet.
- Americans were more than twice as likely to forgo needed medicines because of cost.
- Discrepancies in health care become even wider when taking into account income, age, sex, race and immigrant status. In those kind of detailed comparisons, Canadians were 33 per cent more likely to have a regular doctor and 27 per cent less likely to have an unmet health need.
Meanwhile, Americans had higher rates of nearly every serious chronic disease, including obesity, diabetes and chronic lung disease, even though U.S. residents were less likely to be smokers.
"We pay almost twice what Canada does for care, more than $6,000 for every American, yet Canadians are healthier, and live two to three years longer," said Dr. David Himmelstein, an associate professor at Harvard and study co-author.
This first-ever cross-national health survey analyzed data from the Joint Canada/U.S. Survey of Health, with data collected by Statistics Canada and the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.
It follows a similar study released earlier this month that found white, middle-aged Americans were less healthy than their British counterparts, who spent half as much on health care.
In the latest study, the researchers suggest the biggest barrier to health care in the United States is cost.
More than seven times as many U.S. residents reported going without needed care due to cost, compared to Canadians.
Uninsured U.S. residents were particularly vulnerable, with 30.4 per cent having an unmet health need due to cost, the study reported.
CTV's Avis Favaro said the study found Canadians wait, on average, three times more than Americans for medical treatment.
"But when you look at the actual number, it was aa little over three per cent waiting for medical treatment, which is a tiny proportion when you look at the big picture, although doctors and patients might disagree with that," she said.
Lead author Dr. Karen Lasser said that, while Canada gets negative press about long wait times for medical procedures, the health system seems to work better.
"No one ever talks about the fact that low-income and minority patients fare better in Canada," said Lasser, a primary care doctor at Cambridge Health Alliance and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. "Based on our findings, if I had to choose between the two systems for my patients, I would choose the Canadian system hands down."
Dr. Raisa Deber of the University of Toronto said the message of the study is that "the sky is not falling."
"The take-home message is: When you compare Canada to the United States, Canada is spending a lot less money to get better results," said Deber, who specializes in health policy, management and evaluation.
"There are small improvement in places that could be fixed and could be made better. But on average the system is working quite well."
The one problem noted in the study: About 21 per cent of Canadian women were not receiving recommended cervical cancer screening.
"However, death rates from cervical cancer have long been lower in Canada than in the United States, presumably reflecting past screening practices and population risk factors," the study said.
The Joint Canada/U.S. Survey of Health surveyed 3,505 Canadians and 5,183 U.S. residents between November 2002 and March 2003.
The study will be published in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This news comes as growing support for an American-style health care system is being called for in some places in Canada.
It's interesting to see that American's pay more for health care than we do, while we pay less and get a "better" system. Avis Favaro last night in her broadcast that Canadians pay $4,000 per person on health care taxes each year. By paying alittle bit more each year, the "gaps" in our health care system would be improved.
I don't mind paying more taxes for health care, but I worry for the low income families who can barely get by and how a tax increase would affect them.
I'm also quite sure that this is also the next topic in Michael Moore's next documentary. And I'm sure he'll also be comparing our two systems.