U.S. Residents are Less Healthy, Less able to Access Health Care than Canadians

A study in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health has found that United States residents are less healthy than Canadians despite spending nearly twice as much per capita on health care. According to a press release by Physicians for a National Health Program, the study is the first-ever analysis of the Joint Canada-United States Survey of Health. The study found that the United States has higher rates of nearly every serious chronic disease examined including diabetes, arthritis, and chronic lung disease. US residents also had higher blood pressure and higher rates of obesity. The study concludes that Canada’s level of care is significantly better with Canadians 7% more likely to have a regular doctor and 19% less likely to have an unmet health need. Cost was cited as the number one barrier to care in the United States.

Read the Full Study