Despite Americans paying nearly double that of other nations, the US fares poorly in list of 10 countries

The United States health system ranked dead last in an international comparison of 10 peer nations, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund.

In spite of Americans paying nearly double that of other countries, the system performed poorly on health equity, access to care and outcomes.

“I see the human toll of these shortcomings on a daily basis,” said Dr Joseph Betancourt, the president of the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation with a focus on healthcare research and policy.

The fund said the US would need to expand insurance coverage and make “meaningful” improvements on the amount of healthcare expenses patients pay themselves; minimize the complexity and variation in insurance plans to improve administrative efficiency; build a viable primary care and public health system; and invest in social wellbeing, rather than thrust problems of social inequity onto the health system.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    22 days ago

    You had to go to Canada for that? I had that same experience right here in the states.

    Well, almost. It cost me $1500, and that was after my insurance paid down the majority of the bill.

    • @iopq
      link
      15 hours ago

      It was four hours in the US. Trust me, staying in the hospital until 1 am is way different than sitting until the morning in a plastic chair