Study Shows Canadians Healthier

A Kaiser Permanente researcher,David Feeny,and his American colleagues have concluded that older Canadians experience better health than their American peers.Published in the journal "Population Health Metrics,"the study,based on data from a joint Canadian/U.S. survey from 2002-2003,suggests the longer lifespan of Canadians may be related to two potential factors:access to health care and the prevalence of poverty.While Canadians have universal access to health care,Americans do not;and,the gap between rich and poor is not as wide in Canada as in the U.S.Discriminating between the possible factors would require further study,Mr.Feeny observes.
In any event,Canadians over 40 have,on average,2.7 more years of better health than their southern neighbors.The life expectancy and overall health-related quality of life appears to be greater for Canadians,and factors that account for the difference may include their access to health care over the full lifespan and lower levels of social and economic inequality,especially among the elderly.
The new health insurance reform law in the U.S. is intended to greatly broaden access to care,bringing tens of millions more Americans into the health care system,and improve the quality of care for many of those already within it.
It has long been noted in the media that the U.S. lags behind many other countries in several health care metrics.