The country is ranked last among 10 developed nations in critical areas of healthcare, including prevention of deaths, access (mainly due to high costs), and ensuring quality treatment for all, regardless of gender, income, or geographic location, according to a report published Thursday (19) by The Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group.
According to the study, people in the US die younger and suffer the most preventable deaths, even though the country spends nearly double—about 18% of its gross domestic product—on healthcare than any other ranked nation.
Researchers say that the US spends more but receives less from its investment.
“No other country in the world expects patients and families to pay so much out of pocket for essential health care as the US does,” said Dr. Joseph Betancourt, president of The Commonwealth Fund, to NBC News.
The findings announced on Thursday were based on tens of thousands of interviews with doctors and residents of high-income countries collected over the past three years.
Researchers analyzed how the US compares to nine other countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Each country was ranked in five categories: access to care, process of care, administrative efficiency, equity, and health outcomes.
No country topped or bottomed out in all categories. The countries that ranked in the top three overall were Australia, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Australia and Netherlands also had the lowest healthcare spending.
Notably, the US had the lowest life expectancy and the highest rates of preventable and treatable deaths, which were exacerbated by the pandemic.
Last year, the average life expectancy in the US was 77.5 years, an increase of just over a year from 2021, when the pandemic reduced life expectancy to 76.4 years, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Surveys indicate that healthcare is among the top priorities for voters in the upcoming presidential race in November.
Source: NBC News