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

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.

  • sevan@lemmy.caEnglish
    31·
    2 months ago

    It’s helpful to know that if I ever leave the US, I’ll have better healthcare. I don’t even need to spend any time researching that aspect.

    • iopq@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 months ago

      No, you actually won’t. I went to Canada, had an accident and had to wait 8 hours in the emergency room to get care because apparently I wasn’t dying

      As an American, I had to pay $1000 for this privilege

      • sevan@lemmy.caEnglish
        4·
        2 months ago

        I meant moving to another country permanently, not traveling, but good to know that the US system can reach out and punish me if I have the audacity to travel out of network. :(

      • ImADifferentBirdEnglish
        2·
        2 months 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@lemmy.world
          1·
          2 months 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

          • ImADifferentBirdEnglish
            1·
            2 months ago

            I have definitely done 8 hours in a US ER waiting room before. If you haven’t, count yourself lucky.

            • iopq@lemmy.world
              1·
              2 months ago

              Yes, I believe it. But when I went to urgent care with my ex, they got her in in about an hour.

              Overall, my experience with the US system is that it’s on average faster than the Canadian one if you need urgent care.