Gina-Marie CheesemanU.S. Health Care System the Worst Among Top-Tier Industrialized Nations
September 29th 2007 02:46
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The popular notion in the U.S. main stream media is that waiting times to see a doctor in countries with a one-payer health care system are long. A May 2007 Commonwealth Fund study debunked that myth. The study looked at six industrialized nations: the U. S., Britain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Waiting time to see the doctor in all five other countries is less than the U.S. The six nations are considered to be the "top tier" of the industrialized nations.
Data that the U.S. main stream media reports concerning the Canadian health care system is also misleading, the study found. There is not a long waiting time in Canada for emergency surgeries, and the waiting time for non-emergency elective surgeries is dropping. Canadian figures stat that the waiting time for elective surgery is three weeks.
According to the study the U.S. “consistently under performs on most dimensions of performance, relative to other countries.” The U.S. health care system was ranked last or next to last in all five dimensions of a high performance health system, which include: quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives. Considering that the U.S. is the only industrialized country without universal health insurance coverage, this should come as no surprise. The study cited the lack of universal coverage as “partly accounting for its poor performance.”
The U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world, yet it “under performs relative to other countries on most dimensions of performance.” Americans are paying high insurance premiums, those that can afford the payments, and getting less than they paid for in return.
Quality
The study looked at five indicators of quality: effective care, safe care, coordinated care, and patient-centered care. The U.S. only scored high on “provision and receipt of preventative care,” which is an aspect of effective care. However, it scored low on the other categories, and the other countries “are further along than the U.S. in using information technology and a team approach to manage chronic conditions and coordinate care.” The other countries are also further along in using a “team approach” to manage chronic conditions, and using nurses to help patients manage chronic diseases.
Access
The access to health care in the U.S. is difficult given the high amount of people without health insurance. As a result the U.S. scored last in access. Germany ranked first on access.
Efficiency
The U.S. also ranked last in indicators of efficiency. The U.S. fared poorly on national health expenditures and administrative costs. Britain and New Zealand were ranked first and second. Patients visiting hospital emergency rooms in Germany and New Zealand are less likely to be there for a condition which could have been treated by a doctor visit.
Equity
When it comes to equity the U.S. is dead last. Americans with lower incomes are “much more likely than their counterparts in other countries to report not visiting a physician when sick, not getting a recommended test, treatment or follow-up care, not filling a prescription, or not seeing a dentist when needed because of costs.” Over two-fifths of lower-income Americans said they had to forgo needed health care due to costs in the previous year.
Healthy lives
The U.S. ranked last in health lives. Both the U.S. and Britain had higher death rates from treatable conditions in 1998 than Canada and Australia. Australia ranked highest on health living.
Data that the U.S. main stream media reports concerning the Canadian health care system is also misleading, the study found. There is not a long waiting time in Canada for emergency surgeries, and the waiting time for non-emergency elective surgeries is dropping. Canadian figures stat that the waiting time for elective surgery is three weeks.
According to the study the U.S. “consistently under performs on most dimensions of performance, relative to other countries.” The U.S. health care system was ranked last or next to last in all five dimensions of a high performance health system, which include: quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives. Considering that the U.S. is the only industrialized country without universal health insurance coverage, this should come as no surprise. The study cited the lack of universal coverage as “partly accounting for its poor performance.”
The U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world, yet it “under performs relative to other countries on most dimensions of performance.” Americans are paying high insurance premiums, those that can afford the payments, and getting less than they paid for in return.
Quality
The study looked at five indicators of quality: effective care, safe care, coordinated care, and patient-centered care. The U.S. only scored high on “provision and receipt of preventative care,” which is an aspect of effective care. However, it scored low on the other categories, and the other countries “are further along than the U.S. in using information technology and a team approach to manage chronic conditions and coordinate care.” The other countries are also further along in using a “team approach” to manage chronic conditions, and using nurses to help patients manage chronic diseases.
Access
The access to health care in the U.S. is difficult given the high amount of people without health insurance. As a result the U.S. scored last in access. Germany ranked first on access.
Efficiency
The U.S. also ranked last in indicators of efficiency. The U.S. fared poorly on national health expenditures and administrative costs. Britain and New Zealand were ranked first and second. Patients visiting hospital emergency rooms in Germany and New Zealand are less likely to be there for a condition which could have been treated by a doctor visit.
Equity
When it comes to equity the U.S. is dead last. Americans with lower incomes are “much more likely than their counterparts in other countries to report not visiting a physician when sick, not getting a recommended test, treatment or follow-up care, not filling a prescription, or not seeing a dentist when needed because of costs.” Over two-fifths of lower-income Americans said they had to forgo needed health care due to costs in the previous year.
Healthy lives
The U.S. ranked last in health lives. Both the U.S. and Britain had higher death rates from treatable conditions in 1998 than Canada and Australia. Australia ranked highest on health living.
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