Move to Canada?

[fawnsternurse]

Hello, I am a nurse in the USa and saw this article and thought you may find it interesting.

My fellow Americans: Want a health tip? Move to Canada.

An impressive array of comparative data shows that Canadians live

longer and healthier lives than we do. What's more, they pay roughly half as

much per capita as we do -- $2,163 versus $4,887 in 2001 -- for the

privilege.

Exactly why Canadians fare better is the subject of considerable

academic debate. Some policy wonks say it's Canada's single-payer, universal

health coverage system. Others point to Canadians' different ethnic

mix. Some think it's because they use fewer illegal drugs and shoot each

other less with guns, though they do smoke and drink with gusto.

Still others think Canadians are healthier because their medical system

is tilted more toward primary-care doctors and less toward specialists.

And some believe it's something more fundamental -- a smaller gap

between rich and poor.

Perhaps it's all of the above. But there is no arguing the basics.

"By all measures, Canadians' health is better," said Dr. Barbara

Starfield, a university distinguished professor at Johns Hopkins Medical

Institutions. Canadians "do better on a whole variety of health outcomes,"

she said, "including life expectancy at various ages -- 1, 15, 20, 45,

65, 80, you name it."

According to a World Health Organization report published last year,

life expectancy at birth in Canada is 79.8 years versus 77.3 in the

United States (Japan's is 81.9.). Canada now ranks fifth in life expectancy

at birth (after Japan, Sweden, Hong Kong and Iceland), while the United

States ranks 26th, according to the United Nations Human Development

Report.

"There isn't a single measure in which the US excels in the health

arena," said Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, a senior lecturer in the School of

Public Health at the University of Washington in Seattle. "We spend half of

the world's health care bill and we are less healthy than all the other

rich countries.

"Fifty-five years ago, we were one of the healthiest countries in the

world. What changed? We have increased the gap between rich and poor.

Nothing determines the health of a population [more] than the gap between

rich and poor."

Infant-mortality rates also show striking differences between the

United States and Canada, according to Dr. Clyde Hertzman, associate

director of the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research at the

University of British Columbia in Vancouver. To counter the argument that

racial differences play a major role, Hertzman compared infant mortality for

all Canadians with that for white Americans between 1970 and 1998. The

white US infant mortality rate was roughly six deaths per 1,000 babies,

compared to slightly more than five for Canadians.

Maternal mortality shows a substantial gap as well. According to data

published last year by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development, an international think-tank, there were 3.4 maternal deaths

for every 100,000 births among Canadians compared to a 9.8 among all

Americans.

And more than half of Canadians with severe mental disorders received

treatment, compared to little more than a third of Americans, according

to the May-June 2003 issue of Health Affairs.

Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, an associate professor at Harvard Medical

School, general internist at Cambridge Hospital and staunch advocate of a

single-payer system, said she believes "the summary of the evidence has

to be that national health insurance has improved the health of

Canadians and is responsible for some of the longer life expectancy."

On the other hand, there are some causes of death that wouldn't be much

affected by having the government pick up the health care tab -- like

homicide. And the United States, Bezruckha said, has "the highest

homicide rate of all the rich countries."

"Other things might be differences in seat-belt usage," said Robert

Blendon, a professor of health policy and political analysis at the

Harvard School of Public Health. "We are also disproportionate consumers of

illegal drugs, much more than Canada, so it's cultural. The health of

Americans would be better if we had universal health care, but there are

some things that a single-payer system wouldn't fix, but which would

leave one country looking healthier in the statistics." In some respects,

the health care system is "the tail on the dog," said Dr. Arnie

Epstein, chairman of the department of health policy and medicine at the

Harvard School of Public Health. "It's other aspects of the social fabric of

different countries that seem to have a major impact on how long people

live."

Like ethnicity. In the United States, African-Americans and Latinos

"face problems of housing, stress and low income which have nothing to do

with a single-payer system," Blendon said. Canada has a large number of

Asian immigrants, he said, but they, like Asian immigrants in the

United States, tend to do well on health care measures.

The bottom line is that Canada is doing something right, even if "the

reasons are not totally understood," said Kominski of UCLA.

So, should we all move to Canada? Probably. But it's just too cold.

Judy Foreman is a freelance columnist who can be contacted at

[email protected].

© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.

[Loppear, RN]

Well ya'll come on up here! We have a nursing shortage as well, more nurses will help us out. And its not really any colder than living in North Dakota.........or Montana........any of your northern States.........you'd get used to it!!!!!!!

[fergus51]

When it comes to maternal-newborn care, I wonder if the differences have to do with prenatal care? This is just my personal observation, but I regularly had patients in the US who hadn't received prenatal care, wheras in Canada that is really rare.

[lalaxton]

It may be colder up here but we sure know how to have fun in the snow!

[Teachchildren123]

Thank you fawnsternurse for your very professional comments!

I know that it was written a while ago but is still of interest!

Your fellow Canadian living in Buffalo!

[control]

Well ya'll come on up here! We have a nursing shortage as well, more nurses will help us out. And its not really any colder than living in North Dakota.........or Montana........any of your northern States.........you'd get used to it!!!!!!!

Really trying to!

[acadia]

I am working on it, I cannot wait to be there. I ant to live and work in Newfoundland. We are just starting the process. did I say I can not wait, oh yeah. I LOVE Newfoundland!!!!!!!!!!!! Acadia RN husband is ready to go as well.

[jjennyrn]

hey there acadia

do you have any advice or info on the process?? I am an RN (British) but have lived and worked in USA all my life. NICU, L&D etc. Want to move to Vancouver BC.

Any help would be valued!!

Thanks:monkeydance:

[acadia]

Hi jjennyrn,

What we have been doing is going to the government site. It has had a great deal of information to read through. Newfoundland has a nice site.We really havn`t gotten too far along, it is slow going and of course, I wish we were there yesterday We did just receive the Canadian application for nursing license. So, you might try the gov. site for BC (another beautiful Province!!!) I have not been there since the 70`s, so I am sure much has changed.cadia

[romansten9]

Very interesting! I agree that as a nation our health could be much better. But as individuals, we can each choose to be as healthy as can be and live wherever we want. For example, I eat right, exercise and watch what chemicals I put into my body through my skin, mouth, cleaning chemicals and furnishings in my home, etc. etc. Moving would not increase my health. As Americans we simply have to imitate what others are doing right, and stay put.

I think I have a unique perspective on the 2 countries. I was born in Canada, 1/2 of my family lives there, 1/2 lives in the US. I have never lived there and have no desire to. I travel there all the time to visit. Growing up, I would "argue" with my cousins about which is better! It was a fun game, but of course they both have their perks. They couldn"t argue with the fact that almost everything in Canada comes from the US (I lovingly call them US wanna bees- or clones of our country)

Besides great people, 2 things comes to mind about Canada, they have beautiful mountains, every bit as nice as our Rockies, and they have great wilderness & wide open spaces.

But there is no way I would give up ten thousand great things about America (including beatiful warm beaches--warm enough to actually swim in the ocean!)

As for healthcare, I like the American system. If I'm healthy I'm not forced to pay for something I'm not using. I have freedom to choose where I go for healthcare, and competition gives us the greatest care on the face of the earth.

In summary, there is a lot more to life than living a couple more years. When I get old I will probably have sores and pains and I will be longing to be with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in paradise!

[acadia]

romansten9, I agree you had the best opportunity to look a both sides considering your situation. I am curious, given your nursing area of interest and experience, would you be able to do the same in CA? What would be the differences?. Yes we can all make personal choices for better health, and what we expose ouselves too. Some healthy choices are where you might live as well. Here in NE, winter is cold, snowy; it sounds like you may be in warmer climes, mentioning beaches and swimming. It would not be the extra couple of yrs. I may or may not live, but yet to live (hopefully after all this paperwork and waiting) and work in a place of such serenity and beauty, would be healthy emotionally, not to mention B/P, as well. We both being RN`s, would be able to bring our skills, and experiences to their workforce, Newfoundland facing a shortage of nurses as well. You mention health-care, here I am being told by the insurance company, what meds I may or may not take. Having an MD order for something, then being told by a non-medical, or sometimes RN, that we do not need this or that tx, surgery, using I/we as there are many family and friends also in the same plight. Seems no easy answer to health care issues.

We both want that quiet lifestyle of close friends, and community. This made all the better by the stunning beautiful atomsphere.

I don`t mean to bombard you with questions, but I am curious, I hope you do not mind. Acadia If you want it to be PM that is fine.