The United States healthcare system is currently ranked dead last when compared to other high-income countries, according to a new report.
The report — published Sept. 19 by independent research group The Commonwealth Fund — analyzed 70 healthcare system performance measures in 10 wealthy nations including the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Researchers assessed five areas: access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, health equity and health outcomes.
The U.S. had the worst-performing healthcare system overall despite spending nearly double that of other countries. It also had the lowest ranking in access to care, health equity and health outcomes.
“Differences in overall performance between most countries are relatively small, but the only clear outlier is the U.S., where health system performance is dramatically lower,” the report states. “When it comes to life expectancy and avoidable deaths, the U.S. comes in last.”
“This year’s report does identify one bright spot for the U.S.: The country ranks second in “care process,” which includes prevention, safety, coordination, and patient engagement,” researchers said in a release. “This high rating 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.”
The top-performing countries in the report were Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
“This report reveals that our health system is continuing to lag far behind other nations when it comes to meeting our citizens’ basic health care needs,” Dr. Joseph Betancourt, president of The Commonwealth Fund, said in a news briefing. “The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country, and Americans are sicker, die younger and struggle to afford essential health care. We spend the most and get the least for our investment.”
“As a primary care doctor, I see the human toll of these shortcomings in our system on a daily basis. I have patients who need medications they can’t afford. I spend time going back and forth with insurance companies who have denied care I know my patients need, and I see older patients who arrive sicker than they should because they’ve spent the majority of their lives uninsured,” he continued. “This report underscores the many lessons we could learn from others on how to strengthen our health care delivery and outcomes. It provides a blueprint for health leaders and policymakers on how the US can achieve more equitable, affordable care for all Americans.”
Additionally, the new report states that despite the overall rankings, each country still has its strengths and weaknesses.
“No country is at the top or bottom on all areas of performance,” researchers said. “Even the top-ranked country — Australia — does less well, for example, on measures of access to care and care process. And even the U.S., with the lowest-ranked health system, ranks second in the care process domain.”
