Health Care: US Spending the Most, Performing the Worst
The U.S. spends more than any other developed nation on health care and yet performs the worst on most key performance metrics. That’s according to a recent study by The Commonwealth Fund.
The study compared the United States with six other developed nations: Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand. The U.S. spends nearly 2x as much money per capita ($7,290/year) as the next closest country. And yet, the United States ranks last or near last in terms of quality, efficiency and the equitable structure of the system. The U.S. also ranks last on safety, and does surprisingly poorly on access to primary care and after-hours care.
