12-12-2003, 03:52 AM
Canada's health care system is every bit the equal of ours.
________________USA_______________CANADA
Life Expectancy......77.1 years.........................78.9 years
Infant Mortality......6.8/1000 live births......4.9/1000 live births
As for the popular myth that "Canadian heart patients now flock across the border to hospitals in Detroit and Cleveland before they die waiting for bypass surgery in Canada", I wonder why people repeat this so often without ever citing a single source as fact. Here's an example of why nobody should take this seriously:
Phantoms in the snow: Canadians' use of health care services in the United States.
Katz SJ, Cardiff K, Pascali M, Barer ML, Evans RG.
Department of Medicine, University of Michigan, USA.
To examine the extent to which Canadian residents seek medical care across the border, we collected data about Canadians' use of services from ambulatory care facilities and hospitals located in Michigan, New York State, and Washington State during 1994-1998. We also collected information from several Canadian sources, including the 1996 National Population Health Survey, the provincial Ministries of Health, and the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association. Results from these sources do not support the widespread perception that Canadian residents seek care extensively in the United States. Indeed, the numbers found are so small as to be barely detectible relative to the use of care by Canadians at home.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2002 May-Jun;21(3):19-31
This is not to say that one system is better than the other, as there's really no perfect healthcare system, but I always wonder why the "subpar Canadian healthcare" myth is so widespread when there is no factual evidence to back it up.
________________USA_______________CANADA
Life Expectancy......77.1 years.........................78.9 years
Infant Mortality......6.8/1000 live births......4.9/1000 live births
As for the popular myth that "Canadian heart patients now flock across the border to hospitals in Detroit and Cleveland before they die waiting for bypass surgery in Canada", I wonder why people repeat this so often without ever citing a single source as fact. Here's an example of why nobody should take this seriously:
Phantoms in the snow: Canadians' use of health care services in the United States.
Katz SJ, Cardiff K, Pascali M, Barer ML, Evans RG.
Department of Medicine, University of Michigan, USA.
To examine the extent to which Canadian residents seek medical care across the border, we collected data about Canadians' use of services from ambulatory care facilities and hospitals located in Michigan, New York State, and Washington State during 1994-1998. We also collected information from several Canadian sources, including the 1996 National Population Health Survey, the provincial Ministries of Health, and the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association. Results from these sources do not support the widespread perception that Canadian residents seek care extensively in the United States. Indeed, the numbers found are so small as to be barely detectible relative to the use of care by Canadians at home.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2002 May-Jun;21(3):19-31
This is not to say that one system is better than the other, as there's really no perfect healthcare system, but I always wonder why the "subpar Canadian healthcare" myth is so widespread when there is no factual evidence to back it up.