The U.S. health care system lags behind other rich countries. A new study looked at health care in 10 wealthy nations. The U.S. came in last place overall.
The study checked five key areas:
- Health equity
- Access to care
- Care process
- Administrative efficiency
- Health outcomes
Australia took the top spot, followed by the Netherlands and the UK. The U.S. ranked 10th out of 10 countries.
Money doesn’t seem to be the issue. The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country in the study. But Americans are sicker and die younger than people in the other nations.
The U.S. did poorly in most areas, especially access to care and health outcomes. It ranked last for life expectancy and avoidable deaths.
But it’s not all bad news for the U.S. It came in second for care process, showing some strengths.
Here’s the full ranking:
- Australia
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom
- New Zealand
- France
- Sweden
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Germany
- United States
The gaps between most countries were small. But the U.S. stood out as much worse than the rest.
It’s worth noting that no country aced every area. Even top-ranked Australia had weak spots, like access to care.
The study used data from the World Health Organization and other sources. It looked at info from 2020 onward, covering the COVID-19 pandemic.
These findings raise questions about the U.S. health care system. Despite high spending, it’s not meeting basic goals like keeping people healthy and alive. Other countries seem to do a better job of this, even while spending less money.
