xiaohua

Could but not is March 29, 2017

If a person doesn’t have health insurance, he or she won’t live as long as people with health insurance. 

That’s not debatable.

When a person is obese, like many Americans are, his or her life will be shorter. 

Common sense.

Attribute longer life expectancy for Canadians to Canada’s universal health insurance system is a stretch to put it mildly. 

The headline is misleading. 

The article talked about Canadian patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as an infant who on average lived 10 years longer than average American patients with the same disease. 

If you believe the headline, you are duped to think that the one-payer health insurance system in Canada is better than the system in the U.S. 

It is not. 

With no monetary incentives, Canada’s health-related industries wouldn’t produce life-saving medicines or medical instruments like their counterparts in the U.S. have done. Canadians benefited from the medical advances developed in America and the article totally ignored this little fact.

Canada, about 8% of the U.S. in terms of GDP, is a socialist country with very high income taxes, 5% GST (Goods and Services Tax), up to 10% HST (Harmonized Sales Tax), a separate PST (Provincial SalesTaxes) in some provinces, a weak currency, fewer fancy cars, harsher weather in the winter, short spring, beautiful summer, slow pace in their daily lives, relaxed atmosphere at offices, less stress at work, cleaner air and water, highly dependent of exports of its natural resources (primarily crude oil and oil from oil sand) and a good social welfare (unemployment benefit) system.

The bottom line is this: the average life expectancy for Canadians is almost 3 years longer than that for Americans.

Be careful about what you read on the web; even on a website as creditable as BBC.

When in doubt, check it out yourself.