Canadians Healthier Than Americans, Survey Says

Canadians are healthier than Americans, have better access to health care and have fewer unmet health needs, a new study of both countries reveals. The findings come in spite of the fact that the United States spends almost twice as much per capita on health care as Canada, the researchers noted.

"This shows that you can spend much less than we [Americans] do, and deliver much more and better care then we do," said study co-author Dr. David U. Himmelstein, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass.

The new study appears to reinforce the findings of a Rand Corporation report issued earlier this month that showed a similar health care gap between the U.S. system and that of Great Britain, which, like Canada, has a universal health care system -- subsidized by tax dollars.

Reporting in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health, the researchers found that although Canadians smoke more than Americans, Americans are more likely to be inactive and obese, and have higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and lung disease.

Courtesy Health Day News

Bonnie - OK...first Great Britain...and now Canada? I think we're onto something here. If data continues to be exposed showing how other countries are healthier than we are, maybe this will appeal to the competitive spirit of Americans to finally do something! We can't let the Brits and Canadians best us, right? I know, let's not get carried away. It was just a thought.