5 thoughts on “Health care spending / life expectancy”

  1. I guess I’d have to know who produced these Statistics and if the results are statistically significant. There is only a small difference in life expenctancy between Canada and the US AND yet the per capita costs for health care are huge. Also, how do they measure health care costs? Do they define Health Care Costs as government-funded plus the amounts spent by individual citizens so that we are comparing not comparing apples and oranges?

    Given that the US spends so much more on health care (and assuming Canada includes TOTAL health care spending), it would appear the US does not get much bang for their buck (actually less life expenctancy for a lot more money). We probably need another variable that measures quality of life — not-hooked up to life support, level of activity (bedridden, in a wheel chair, ability to carry out normal self-care such as shopping/cleaning/cooking/etc., ability to participate in recreational activities, etc.). There are a whole host of other variables that may be adding to the cost of American health care, i.e. rates of obesity…

  2. Exactly. It’s not just that they be true but the methodology by which the statistics were gathered – is it valid? Are we talking apples to apples?

  3. Given that the “true” cost of health care has been captured here, it would appear that the amount spent on health care is not highly correlated with long life, i.e. need to look for other explanatory variables of long life (genetics, addiction, survival of the fittest over several generations, exercise & diet, low murder rate, individual knowledge of self health care, etc.). Conversely, this chart is not evidence that increased expenditures on health care will increase longevity.

    However, we are living longer and longer as time passes. This chart if very puzzling.

  4. Despite those who are still looking to extend human life indefinitely, I believe that as a species we are about to peak out in our longevity. Tthe diseases associated with our having fouled our nest will get us.

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