For those in doubt about public health care...

... Canadians live longer, on average, than Americans:

When it comes to differences between Canada and the U.S., there is one area at least where we can claim bragging rights. Canadians have the edge when it comes to life expectancy and health-related quality of life.

"Canadians live longer and healthier than Americans," said U.S. health economist David Feeny, lead author of a newly published analysis of a joint Canada-U.S. population health survey.

"Mortality rates are lower in Canada and the health-related quality of life - the quality of those years - is higher in Canada than in the United States."

In fact, the analysis of the 2002-2003 data shows a 19-year-old in Canada, for instance, can expect to enjoy 2.7 years more of "perfect health" than an American the same age, said Feeny, an investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research.

While populations north and south of the border share many similarities, including standards of living, Feeny said there are two distinct potential explanations for the gap in life expectancy and quality of life: access to health care and the prevalence of poverty.

From the Telegram.