Health outcomes often better in Canada than U.S.: review
Art Brand
> Good read, accurate and just what Americans can expect as government
> skims the money fot more corruption like GM & banks.
>
Strange that you perfer the Canadian system then, or else you would have moved
to the USA by now. Aren't you a self proclaimed "capitalist"? Or are you
just another right wing blowhard whose afraid to put his money where he mouth
is? Your blind ideology will only carry you so far, and apparently it hasn't
carried you anywhere. What is it with you Wanabe Americans? If you don't
like Canada why not move?
Health outcomes often better in Canada than U.S.: review
The Canadian Press
The death and disease rates for patients in Canada are the same or lower than
those for people with similar diagnoses treated in the United States — even
though per capita health-care spending is higher south of the border, a study
suggests.
The findings — from Canadian and U.S. researchers who crunched data from 38
studies — were published in the inaugural edition of Open Medicine. The online
medical journal launched Wednesday in the aftermath of a rift last year between
some editors and the publisher of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
'What it shows is that despite an enormous investment in money, we do not
see better health outcomes [in the U.S.]' — Study author Dr. P.J. Devereaux
"In looking at patients in Canada with a specific diagnosis compared to
Americans with the same diagnosis, in Canada patients had at least as good an
outcome as their American counterparts — and in many situations, a better
health outcome," said one of the 17 authors, Dr. P.J. Devereaux, a cardiologist
and clinical epidemiologist at McMaster University in Hamilton.
"And that is important because in the United States, they're currently spending
a little over $7,100 per individual on health care annually, whereas in Canada
we're spending a little over $2,900 per individual annually," he said in a
telephone interview from Brantford, Ont.
The study covered data on patient populations in the United States and Canada
from 1955 to 2003. To conduct their meta-analysis, researchers identified
almost 5,000 titles and abstracts. Of these, 498 appeared potentially eligible
on initial review. Eventually, 38 studies were deemed to be eligible.
"Overall, Canada did better, and in fact we found a statistically significant
five per cent mortality advantage [of survival] to people with diagnoses in
Canada compared to their counterparts in the United States," Devereaux said.
Canadian survival advantage
Devereaux said the Canadian public is barraged by people who argue that the
solution to problems in the health-care system is to move toward two-tiered
medicine and for-profit health-care delivery.
He said the researchers in the meta-study wanted to provide facts that can be
used to make decisions about the system, instead of the debate being steered by
beliefs and ideologies.
'The medicare system allows us enormous efficiencies in terms of cost-
saving relative to private insurance.'—Dr. P.J. Devereaux
Researchers began by asking the question: Are there differences in death and
disease rates in patients suffering from similar medical conditions treated in
Canada versus those treated in the United States?
Overall, 14 of the 38 studies showed better outcomes in Canada, while five
favoured the United States. The other 19 studies showed equivalent or mixed
results in the two countries.
"What it [the study] shows is that despite an enormous investment in money, we
do not see better health outcomes [in the U.S.]," Devereaux said.
"And importantly, where our two systems do diverge is that America has a
mixture of private insurance in terms of the funding for health care whereas in
Canada we have medicare system for hospital and physician services.
"The medicare system allows us enormous efficiencies in terms of cost-saving
relative to private insurance."
Some explanations for the results include the fact that U.S. health care has
administrative inefficiencies that public funding — without multiple competing
insurance companies — eliminates. Canadians also save on prescription drug
costs because drug prices are controlled.
Few uninsured patients in the United States, who probably suffer the worst
quality care, were included in the studies examined.
Devereaux said the Canadian health-care system has problems and needs
improvement, "but certainly using medicare funding and not-for-profit delivery
is the best way to actually maximize health outcomes and in a cost-effective
manner."
© The Canadian Press, 2007