Land Of The Free, Home Of The Dead

"Canadians with cystic fibrosis survive, on average, more than 10 years longer than Americans with the same disease, largely because of differences in the two countries' health insurance systems, a new study suggests...

"The average lifespan for an American with the illness is 37 years. In Canada, it is 49... Overall death rates were 34 percent lower in Canada than in the United States.

"There was no difference in death rates between Canadians and Americans with private health insurance. But Canada provides universal healthcare coverage under a single-payer system, so every Canadian has some kind of health insurance. The Canadian death rate was 44 percent lower than that of Americans without insurance.

"Dr. Anne L. Stephenson, a researcher at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, said... 'It seems people with no insurance have the worst outcomes compared to Canadians. That was the largest difference seen.'"

—"Cystic Fibrosis Survival Rates,"  

The New York Times, March 14, 2017