Enough for legislators and policy makers, and I think enough for residents of different countries to get some perspective.

We can’t have that: we can’t have the threat of a good example

I think the fact that US healthcare is a joke all over the world is a way better perspective than a comparison to Cuba's average lifespan (Even if it were accurate).

For the average person reading an article like this a headline saying "US healthcare is the laughing stock of the world" is a lot more effective title than "Cuba beat US average lifespan for the last 4 years".

If you want to seriously compare healthcare then comparing accessibility and outcomes would be a better stat but not to one specific country but all of them. But that would not make much of a news article, more of an actual study.