The
U.S. health care system has been subject to heated debate over the past decade,
but one thing that has remained consistent is the level of
performance, which has been ranked as the worst among industrialized nations
for the fifth time, according to the 2014 Commonwealth Fund survey 2014. The U.K. ranked best with
Switzerland following a close second.
The Commonwealth Fund report compares the U.S. with 10
other nations: France, Australia, Germany, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, Norway,
the Netherlands, Switzerland and the U.K. were all judged to be superior based
on various factors. These include quality of care, access to doctors and equity
throughout the country. Results of the study rely on data from the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Health Organization and
interviews from physicians and patients.
Although the U.S. has the most expensive health care
system in the world, the nation ranks lowest in terms of “efficiency, equity
and outcomes,” according to the report. One of the most piercing revelations is
that the high rate of expenditure for insurance is not commensurate to the
satisfaction of patients or quality of service. High out-of-pocket costs and
gaps in coverage “undermine efforts in the U.S. to improve care coordination,”
the report summarized.
A striking take-home from the report was a need for
equity throughout the nation. “Disparities in access to services signal the
need to expand insurance to cover the uninsured and to ensure that all
Americans have an accessible medical home,” it said. A lack of universal health
care was noted as the key difference between the U.S. and the other industrial
nations.
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