In October 2008 the Center for Disease Control placed the United States 29^th in infant mortality. Canada shows 5.3 deaths per 1,000; vs the US with 6.9 deaths per 1,000.

But U.S infant mortality is explained by the proportion of teenage pregnancies which are less healthy, more premature and more likely to have low birth weight. While teenage pregnancies, drug abuse, smoking, drinking and obesity increase our higher infant mortality rate- it does not follow that that centralized Canadian style health insurance will solve a problem mired in cultural and social causes.

Similarly we make substantial efforts to save premature infants that other countries do not. We consider them live births, they consider them miscarriages.

From “We’re Number Two?” by Thomas W. Hazlett in the December 2009 issues of Commentary

HKO comment:

A lot of bad statistics are thrown around in the health care debate. Without examining the realities below the numbers, policies derived by these numbers will make our problems more expensive without solving the problem.

It is for this reason that what works in one country, especially a more culturally homogeneous country will not work in ours. Before we spend a trillion dollars on better solutions we desperately need a better diagnosis.

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