The United States’ health care system currently ranks last compared to other high-income countries, according to a new report.
The report — released Sept. 19 by independent research group The Commonwealth Fund — analyzed 70 measures of the performance of health care systems in 10 wealthy countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Researchers assessed five domains: access to care, process of care, administrative efficiency, health equity, and health outcomes.
The US had the worst health care system despite spending almost twice as much as other countries. It also ranked lowest in access to care, health equity, and health outcomes.
“The differences in overall performance between most countries are relatively small, but the only clear difference is the US, where health system performance is dramatically lower,” the report said. “When it comes to life expectancy and avoidable deaths, the US ranks last.”
“This year’s report identifies one bright spot for the U.S.: The country ranks second in the “process of care,” which includes prevention, safety, coordination, and patient engagement,” the researchers said in a statement. “This high score may be due to changes in the way Medicare and other insurers pay for health care, as well as an increased focus on patient safety and preventive services.”
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The top performing countries in the report were Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
“This report reveals that our health system continues to lag far behind other nations in meeting the basic health needs of our citizens,” said Dr. Joseph Betancourt, president of the Commonwealth Fund, at a news conference. “The US spends more on health care than any other country, and Americans are sicker, dying younger and struggling to afford basic health care. We spend the most and get the least for our investment.”
“As a primary care physician, I see the human toll of these deficiencies in our system every day. I have patients who need medication that they cannot afford. I spend time going back and forth with insurance companies that have denied the care I know my patients need, and I see elderly patients who come in sicker than they should because they spent most of their lives uninsured,” he continued. “This report highlights the many lessons we could learn from others about how to improve our healthcare delivery and outcomes. It provides a blueprint for health leaders and policymakers on how the U.S. can achieve more equitable and affordable care for all Americans.”
Additionally, the new report states that despite the overall ranking, each country still has its strengths and weaknesses.
“No country is at the top or bottom in all areas of performance,” the researchers said. “Even the top-ranked country—Australia—underperforms, for example, on measures of access to care and process of care. Even the US, with the lowest-ranked health care system, ranks second in the care process domain.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education