Posted on July 14, 2010 17:10
Categories: Treatment and Recovery | Prevention and Wellness | Special Populations
Topics: Cost-effectiveness | Providers | Quality | Spending | Treatment
On June 23, the Commonwealth Fund released a report comparing the health care systems of the U.S. and six other developed nations. The report found that U.S. health care spending in 2007 was $7,290 per-person, more than double that of the other six nations surveyed. New Zealand spent $2,454 per-person, Britain spent $2,992, the Netherlands spent $3,837 per-person, Germany spent $3,588 per-person, Canada spent $3,895 per-person, and Australia spent $3,357 per-person. The study examined health care quality, efficiency, access, and equity, and the ability of residents to lead long, healthy, productive lives. The Netherland’s health care system ranked the best overall, while the U.S. system ranked the worst.
From the report:
Despite having the most costly health system in the world, the United States consistently underperforms on most dimensions of performance, relative to other countries. This report—an update to three earlier editions—includes data from seven countries and incorporates patients’ and physicians’ survey results on care experiences and ratings on dimensions of care. Compared with six other nations—Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom—the U.S. health care system ranks last or next-to-last on five dimensions of a high performance health system: quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives. Newly enacted health reform legislation in the U.S. will start to address these problems by extending coverage to those without and helping to close gaps in coverage—leading to improved disease management, care coordination, and better outcomes over time.
Full report: How the Performance of the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally (PDF | 1.4 KB) 
The Commonwealth Foundation. (2010). Mirror, mirror on the wall: how the performance of the U.S. health care system compares internationally. Davis, K., Schoen, C., and Stremikis, K.
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