Americans die earlier and are the sickest — and have the worst healthcare on the whole — compared with nine other developed countries, a new report shows.
“The United States is failing one of its principal obligations as a nation: to protect the health and welfare of its people,” Joseph Betancourt, MD, president of the Commonwealth Fund, said in a HealthDay article. His company published the report Thursday.
Despite its deficiencies, the US spends the most on healthcare, the report noted.
Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom had the highest rankings, data showed. The other countries included in the report were Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Canada, France, and Switzerland.
The Commonwealth team compared national healthcare systems using 70 measures spanning five areas of performance: access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity, and health outcomes.
Some of the major findings: Americans have the shortest lives and the most avoidable deaths; the US ranked last on five out of six health outcome measures; and Americans face the most obstacles when it comes to accessing healthcare. About a quarter of all Americans can’t afford care when they need it, and approximately 25 million people in the US don’t have insurance.
The US also ranks lowest in health equity, as many Americans with low income can’t afford care. Patients have a hard time making payments and doctors have difficulty completing billing operations. One bright spot: The US did better than Switzerland in terms of efficiency.
“While other nations have successfully met their populations’ health needs, the US health system continues to lag significantly,” Reginald Williams II, vice president of international health policy and practice innovations with The Commonwealth Fund, said.
It wasn’t all negative news for the US. The nation ranked second among the countries in terms of the “care process,” which includes prevention, safety and patient engagement. The researchers say that the Affordable Care Act is a reason for the high ranking in that metric.
Authors of the report said that the US could improve its healthcare by offering coverage to those without insurance and limiting out-of-pocket expenses, bolstering the number of primary care doctors, decreasing the consolidation of healthcare systems that drives prices up, eliminating health inequities, and paying attention to social drivers of health such as poverty and hunger.
“This report shows that by adopting proven strategies and making smart investments, America can enhance its health system to better meet the needs of its people,” Williams said. “There’s no reason we can’t elevate our standing if we choose to do so.”
