Econintersect: The U.S. continues to rate very poorly for health care among wealthy countries. In a report just issued by the Commonwealth Fund, data collected 2011-2013 shows the U.S. ranked last of the eleven countries surveyed. However, for overall quality of care the U.S. ranked fifth. Specific characteristics ranking highly were effectiveness of care (3), patient-oriented care (4) and timeliness of care (5). But rankings of 7 for safety, 9 for access and 11 for cost, efficiency, equity and healthy lives sank the overall ranking to the bottom. The U.S. managed to edge out Canada which finished in tenth place.
The UK and Switzerland topped the ranking. The UK ranked first in all characteristics except for equity (2), timeliness (3) and healthy lives (10). Switzerland ranked poorly in effective care (7) and efficiency (6).
Here is the abstract for the report:
Click on graphic for larger image.
Sources:
- Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, 2014 Update: How the U.S. Health Care System Compared Internationally (Karen Davis, Kristof Stremikis, David Squires and Cathy Schoen, The Commonwealth Fund, 16 June 2014) Executive Summary.
- Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, 2014 Update: How the U.S. Health Care System Compared Internationally (Karen Davis, Kristof Stremikis, David Squires and Cathy Schoen, The Commonwealth Fund, 16 June 2014) Full Report.
