Abstract
BackgroundThe objective of the paper is to compare population health in the United States (US) and Canada. Although the two countries are very similar in many ways, there are potentially important differences in the levels of social and economic inequality and the organization and financing of and access to health care in the two countries.MethodsData are from the Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health 2002/03. The Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) was used to measure overall health-related quality of life (HRQL). Mean HUI3 scores were compared, adjusting for major determinants of health, including body mass index, smoking, education, gender, race, and income. In addition, estimates of life expectancy were compared. Finally, mean HUI3 scores by age and gender and Canadian and US life tables were used to estimate health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE).ResultsLife expectancy in Canada is higher than in the US. For those < 40 years, there were no differences in HRQL between the US and Canada. For the 40+ group, HRQL appears to be higher in Canada. The results comparing the white-only population in both countries were very similar. For a 19-year-old, HALE was 52.0 years in Canada and 49.3 in the US.ConclusionsThe population of Canada appears to be substantially healthier than the US population with respect to life expectancy, HRQL, and HALE. Factors that account for the difference may include access to health care over the full life span (universal health insurance) and lower levels of social and economic inequality, especially among the elderly.
Highlights
The objective of the paper is to compare population health in the United States (US) and Canada
Because the distribution of risk factors differs between the two countries, comparisons will be based on results adjusted for standard risk factors and determinants of health variables [11]: gender, race, education, income, smoking status, and body mass index (BMI)
To put the results from the JCUSH into context, the demographic results reported in the JCUSH for the US and Canada are compared to contemporary population health surveys of the non-institutionalized population in each country and comparisons of the prevalence of major chronic conditions based on data from the JCUSH in the two countries are provided descriptively
Summary
The objective of the paper is to compare population health in the United States (US) and Canada. The two countries are very similar in many ways, there are potentially important differences in the levels of social and economic inequality and the organization and financing of and access to health care in the two countries. Canada and the United States (US) share a common border and enjoy very similar standards of living. Training standards for health care professionals are very similar. Canada provides universal first-dollar (i.e., no co-pay) health care insurance coverage for medical and hospital services. In the US, access to health insurance is typically based on employment, income (Medicaid), or age (Medicare), is not universal, and varies in coverage and co-pay requirement. The degree of social and economic inequality is higher in the US [1,3,4]
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