Jim Dandy: but don't forget the end of the article:

"They are probably right about the health-care system playing a role in this," he said. But there are many socioeconomic factors that may contribute to differences in life-expectancy and quality of life, including a higher prevalence of violence and unhealthier, poorer immigrant populations south of the border.

"We don't really know how to parse out the differences between Canada and the U.S. into better access to health care and less brutalizing social environment for some parts of the population," he said from Vancouver.

"So it's not clear to me that the adoption of a Canadian-style system, even if they could do it" would make a difference, said Evans, noting that eliminating third-party private insurers from the U.S. health-care mix would present a monumental challenge.

"Is Obama-care going to cure it? No. You're on the start of a long road down there. It's in the right direction, it will certainly help some people a lot, but ... is the U.S. health status disadvantage going to disappear in the next four or five years? I would bet against it."