June and Dave O'Neill of Baruch College in New York have produced an important new study comparing health care in the U.S. and Canada.

They use data from a massive Joint Canada/U.S. Survey of Health and find that the added health spending in the U.S. actually creates a system that is fairer to the poor and excels at granting broad access to basic care.

The study, presented at a National Bureau of Economic Research conference, is only available to purchase, but here's a news article from the National Post in Canada with a report. Among the findings:

Americans have more chronic illnesses than Canadians, but we are more likely to receive treatment. Canadians have a higher incidence of untreated illnesses like emphysema, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.

• Americans are more likely to receive preventive services. For example, the number of middle-aged Canadian women who have never had a mammogram is nearly double that of the U.S. And the number of Canadian women who never have had a pap test for cervical cancer is triple the U.S. figure.
• Americans are more likely to receive preventive services. For example, the number of middle-aged Canadian women who have never had a mammogram is nearly double that of the U.S. And the number of Canadian women who never have had a pap test for cervical cancer is triple the U.S. figure.
• And regarding infant mortality, the U.S. has more teenage mothers and more low birth weight babies. When controlling for birth weight, the two countries' infant mortality rates are virtually the same.