Ishita Roy

US Ranks Last In Health Care Among The Top 10 High-income Nations

US Ranks the Lowest In Health Care

In a report published by The Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group on Thursday revealed that the US healthcare system is failing as it stood as the worst performer among the 10 developed nations in the areas of healthcare.

The study looked at how the US compared with nine other developed high-income countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Each country was graded based on five categories including access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity and health outcomes.

The US ranks as the worst performer among these 10 countries. The study found that people in the US die the youngest and experience the most avoidable deaths. The problem is ever grave as the country spends nearly twice as much- about 18% of their gross domestic product- on health care than any other nation ranked. 

"No other country in the world expects patients and families to pay as much out of pocket for essential health care as they do in they do in the US," said Dr Joseph Betancourt, the president of The Commonwealth Fund. The findings show that despite the high expenditure, the investment return rate is the least. 

Though surveys have indicated that health care is one of the top priorities for the voters in the November presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris has also pitched for the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as the Obamacare.

Dr David Blumenthal, former president of The Commonwealth Fund said that the US hospitals are severely undersupplied with hospital beds and even doctors. "That is one of the reasons why you have to wait so long in the United States for speciality care and one of the reasons why no one can find a primary care physician."

In the findings, the US ranked last among the three out of the five categories, including care access, equity and outcomes. It ranked near last in almost every category except care process, in which it ranked second behind New Zealand that ranked first. Care process measures preventive services including mammograms, flu vaccinations and engagement with patients.

The US also ranked second to last in equity, and had the lowest life expectancy and the highest rates of preventable and treatable excess deaths. Last year, the average life expectancy in the US was 77.5 years, up just over a year from 2021, when pandemic drove the expectancy down to 76.4 years.

“The United States provides perhaps the most advanced medical treatments in the world, but only for those who can afford it," said Lawrence Gostin, director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.

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In a report published by The Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group on Thursday revealed that the US healthcare system is failing as it stood as the worst performer among the 10 developed nations in the areas of healthcare. The study looked at how the US compared with nine other developed high-income countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Each country was graded based on five categories including access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity and health outcomes.Study FindingThe US ranks as the worst performer among these 10 countries. The study found that people in the US die the youngest and experience the most avoidable deaths. The problem is ever grave as the country spends nearly twice as much- about 18% of their gross domestic product- on health care than any other nation ranked. "No other country in the world expects patients and families to pay as much out of pocket for essential health care as they do in they do in the US," said Dr Joseph Betancourt, the president of The Commonwealth Fund. The findings show that despite the high expenditure, the investment return rate is the least. Though surveys have indicated that health care is one of the top priorities for the voters in the November presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris has also pitched for the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as the Obamacare.Health care and accessDr David Blumenthal, former president of The Commonwealth Fund said that the US hospitals are severely undersupplied with hospital beds and even doctors. "That is one of the reasons why you have to wait so long in the United States for speciality care and one of the reasons why no one can find a primary care physician."In the findings, the US ranked last among the three out of the five categories, including care access, equity and outcomes. It ranked near last in almost every category except care process, in which it ranked second behind New Zealand that ranked first. Care process measures preventive services including mammograms, flu vaccinations and engagement with patients.The US also ranked second to last in equity, and had the lowest life expectancy and the highest rates of preventable and treatable excess deaths. Last year, the average life expectancy in the US was 77.5 years, up just over a year from 2021, when pandemic drove the expectancy down to 76.4 years.“The United States provides perhaps the most advanced medical treatments in the world, but only for those who can afford it," said Lawrence Gostin, director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.