Do countries get what they pay for when it comes to health care? Richer countries generally spend more on health care. But that doesn’t necessarily translate into better health outcomes.
Canadians are not getting what they’re paying for with their health care dollars, a new report says.
This country spends more per capita on health care than all but three of the world’s most advanced nations, yet ranks a lowly 10th in the quality of medicine it delivers, the Conference Board of Canada report argues.
“The clear message for Canada is that we’re fourth highest on the spending list here and yet we’re not doing as well when it comes to health outcomes,” says David Stewart-Patterson, the board’s vice-president of public policy.
“We can and should be getting better value for our health-care spending in terms of the length and quality of life that Canadians enjoy,” Stewart-Patterson says.
With 10 per cent of our gross domestic product tied up in health costs, this country spends about $4,100 per person each year on its overall medical system.
Yet in terms of longevity and infant mortality, two common points of comparison when ranking systems internationally, Canada is well down the list of the 17 nations surveyed, Stewart-Patterson says.
Canada placed seventh on the list in terms of longevity and second from the bottom in infant mortality statistics, he said.
This country’s 10th place showing has not changed since a major 2009 report put out by the board, which looked at data from the previous year to set its rankings.
Thursday’s document, which also used the 2008 data, brought in per capita health costs to compare the effectiveness of our spending with the other nations, Stewart-Patterson says.
And we don’t perform admirably in that mix, he says.
Japan, with $2,729 per capita annual expenditures, delivers the best health system, based on the longevity and infant mortality parameters.
“Italy has the second-lowest (costs) and has the third best life expectancy,” Stewart-Patterson says.
The U.S., on the other hand, spends substantially more — about $7,500 per person — on health care than any of the other listed nations and provides amongst the worst care, he says.
“So obviously they are not the model of health care we should be looking to for improvements.”
While there may well be cultural and social issues at play in the varying health outcomes among the listed nations, the report is a good indication that Canada can spend its health care money more wisely, Stewart-Patterson says.
“Clearly there are other countries we can and should be learning from,” he says.
Full Report: Canada Spends More & Gets Less in Health Care than Most Advanced Nations
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/hot-topics/healthSpending.aspxThe Canadian Alliance for Sustainable Health Care (CASHC)
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/CASHC/default.aspx---
人均開支第四 醫療質素第十 報告：加國健保與發達國家相比
據一項最新研究顯示，與大部分發達國家相比，加拿大人在醫療保健上支付費用較多，但所獲得服務卻較差。本報綜合報道 加拿大會議局(Conference Board of Canada)發表的報告表明，對17個先進國家的調查結果顯示，加國保健的人均開支佔第四高，但醫療質素僅排在第十位。
加國每年保健人均花費4,100元,日本的每年人均醫療保健開支2,729元
會議局公共政策副總裁史超域-帕德遜(David Stewart-Patterson)指出：「該明確訊息是，加拿大醫療保健開支第四高，但結果不相稱。加拿大人的壽命與生活質素應當更好。」
加國10%的國內生產總值(GDP)用於保健開支，每年在保健系統上的人均花費為4,100元。史超域-帕德遜說，但在壽命與嬰兒死亡率兩大衡量指標上，通過17個國家的調查中，加拿大的排名遠遠落後：在壽命上排第七位，嬰兒死亡率更位列倒數第二。自會議局2009年開始排名以來，加拿大總體第十位的名次尚未改變。周四公布的報告按照人均保健開支，與其他國家的醫療質素比較。
日本的每年人均醫療保健開支2,729元，但在壽命與嬰兒死亡率上，保健系統的服務最佳。意大利的保健開支第二低，壽命第三佳。而美國的人均每年保健開支大約7,500元，佔所有國家費用最高，但保健服務最差。史超域-帕德遜表示：「顯然，美國不是加拿大借鑑的模式。」他說，在比較各國醫療保健質素方面，文化與社會原因可能也可起作用，但最新報告表明，加拿大可以更有效地花費保健開支。應借鑑其他一些國家的經驗。
http://news.singtao.ca/vancouver/2011-05-13/canada1305278983d3183491.html---
Related Links:
Charting a Path to Sustainable Health Care in Ontario: 10 Proposals to Restrain Cost Growth Without Compromising Quality of Care
http://www.td.com/economics/special/db0510_health_care.pdfHealing Health Care Finances
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2011/03/Clements.htmHealth care: From Entitlement to Empowerment
http://www.thestar.com/printarticle/990594Canadian Alliance for Sustainable Health Care Launched to Takle the Full Spectrum of Canadian Health
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/print/2541810 Common Medication Mistakes to Avoid
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-common-medication-mistakes-that-can-kill.html?page=2
