Analysis: Canada trumps U.S. in health outcomes, but lags behind other nations
OTTAWA, Canada According to the Conference Board’s annual Health report card comparing leading developed countries, released Monday, Canada outshines the United States in health outcomes, but still trails the global leaders in the overall health of its population.
Canada ranks No. 10 among the 16 comparator countries in overall health outcomes and earns a “B” grade. The United States received a “D” grade for overall health outcomes. “Canada has been at the center of much of the debate on U.S. healthcre reform. Since Canada ranks ahead of the U.S. on all but one indicator of health status—mortality rate due to cancer—it is clear that we are getting better results,” stated Gabriela Prada, director, Health Policy, Innovation and Evaluation. “But when we look beyond the narrow Canada-U.S. comparison to the rest of the world, Canadians rank in the middle of the pack in terms of their health status.”
Canada recieved “C” grades on the mortality due to diabetes, mortality due to musculoskeletal diseases and infant mortality indicators.
“Increasing levels of mortality due to diabetes should be raising alarm bells among policy-makers and the public,” Prada said. “As the population ages, the burden from chronic diseases will only grow, unless Canadians change their attitudes and behaviors. Canada has no choice but to adopt a model of health care that focuses on sound primary care practices, particularly preventing and better manage chronic diseases.”
Canada is slightly above average — ranking No. 7 — in a new indicator that measures patient safety, mortality due to medical misadventures. About 150 Canadians die each year as a result of adverse medical events. Overall, an estimated 158,000 Canadians suffer a misadventure during surgical or other medical care, and close to 60,000 of these cases are considered preventable.
Japan is the top-ranking country in terms of health care. Switzerland, Italy and Norway also earned “A” grades. Finland moved ahead of Canada in this year’s rankings due to better results on most of the mortality rate indicators.
Most top-performing countries have achieved better health outcomes through actions on the broader determinants of health — such as environmental stewardship and health promotion programs that focus on changes in lifestyle, along with education, early childhood development and income to improve health outcomes.
How Canada Performs: A Report Card on Canada is the Conference Board’s annual benchmarking analysis, which the board has conducted since 1996. The Conference Board assesses Canada’s performance against leading countries in the domains of economy, health, society, innovation, environment, and education and skills.