Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim7139
And yet the CDN $ is worth 80 cents US.
The public health care is great....... Unless of course you get cancer, and then you get in line and pray you're not dead before you're treatment number gets called. That's probably why anybody with a few bucks and a serious health issue comes right here for treatment.
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Tim, Tim, Tim - the current U.S. / Canadian exchange rate is really irrelevant to the standard of living and/or quality of life in either country and, as such, is really a red herring.
Is the Canadian health care system perfect? No, it's not, but as someone who had lived with it for 60 years I can tell you it's not nearly as bad as some paint it out to be - especially when you get past emotion and anecdote and actually step into the world of facts and data. The U.S. health care system isn't perfect either, nor is it 'leaps and bounds' better - as some might wish to have you believe.
I realize you're not a big fan of facts and data (and/or science, as evidenced by some of your specious arguments in the global climate change debate), but here are some data points you may wish to ponder. Data is represented as "USA / Canada":
List of countries by life expectancy (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ife_expectancy)
Life expectancy: 79 / 82
Life expectancy rank: 34 / 9
List of countries by total health expenditure per capita (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ure_per_capita)
Total health expenditure per capita in US dollars (2013)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: $8,713 / $4,351
World Health Organization: $9,146 / 5,718
List of OECD countries by health care outcome (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...h_care_outcome)
Colorectal cancer 5-year survival rate: 64.7% / 63.5%
Breast cancer 5-year survival rate: 88.7% / 87.7%
Cervical cancer 5-year survival rate: 62.2% / 66.0%
Heart attack 30 day in-hospital mortality per 100 hospital discharges: 5.5 / 5.7
Hemorrhagic stroke 30 day in-hospital mortality per 100 hospital discharges: 22.2 / 22.3
Ischemic stroke 30 day in-hospital mortality per 100 hospital discharges: 4.3 / 9.7
Conclusion: With the exception of ischemic stroke, U.S. and Canadian health care systems have similar survival rates for major health incidents, with the U.S. generally holding a very slight edge, and Canada better for cervical cancer survival rates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Canada has a significantly greater life expectancy, even though the U.S. spends between 60% (WHO) and 100% (OECD) more per capita health care.
I wouldn't be too proud of a system that costs twice as much, with a lower life expectancy, and which is the number one cause of personal bankruptcy (
Why Americans Are Drowning in Medical Debt - The Atlantic).
Be careful about patting yourself on the back too hard, you may slip a disk or wrench your shoulder, neither of which would cost me to have addressed by my health care professionals.
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