Quote:
Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy
The average lifespan of a Canadian is 2 years greater than an American. I feel confident saying there is a positive relationship, though not necessarily 100% correlation, between longer lifespans and higher living standards.
|
That's almost entirely the result of tens of millions of Americans at the bottom end of the income scale having poor access to healthcare or access only with crippling deductibles. It's a terrible system and extremely inefficient. Even middle class people with "Cadillac plans" often pay deductibles of over $5,000, sometimes well over. So if you happen to break your arm, which would cost around $2,500, that expense would be out of pocket. That's a lot of money for most people to come up without incurring some interest-bearing debt. The majority of Americans do not have even $500 in ready cash. Taxes paid are very significantly less, but that savings is lost if you have to come up with even one deductible in a given year.
The result is the worst life expectancy among all developed nations, and below even Costa Rica and Chile. The average U.S. life expectancy is only a few months higher than that of Cuba. There is definitely a positive relationship between living standards and life expectancy, and that's why third world countries have the lowest life expectancies, but there are numerous other factors. Spain and Italy have higher life expectancies than Norway, Canada, the Netherlands or Germany. Diet? Wine? Sunshine?
Healthcare is where Canada has a real advantage over the U.S., both social and economic.