Health Care in the US Could be Better

According to a report released in September, 2006 by the Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, American healthcare only scored 66 points out of a possible 100 and lagged far behind the rest of the industrialized world. American healthcare received low grades on efficiency, access to care and in outcomes.
The United States spends about 15% of its GDP (gross domestic product) on healthcare, compared to 10% of the GDP spent by most other industrialized nations. Insurance administrative costs in the U.S. were more than three times the rate in countries with integrated payment systems. Nearly one-third of Americans under the age of 65 have trouble paying their medical bills. Unfortunately, the increased spending does not result in better care. The US rated 15th out of 19 nations with regard to preventable deaths. It is estimated that 115 per 100,000 people die who would have survived if timely and appropriate medical care was administered. France scored highest in this category, with only 75 deaths per 100,000.

The US ranks last in infant mortality, with 7 deaths per 1,000 births. The top three countries have 2.7 deaths per 1,000 births—less than half our number. We are at the bottom of the list in life expectancy. American children miss more school for illness than the children from the other industrialized nations. Fewer than half of American adults receive the recommended screening tests appropriate for their age and sex. Preventable hospital admissions for chronically ill patients (eg; those with asthma or diabetes) were twice as high compared to the nations at the top of the list. The rate of readmission of Medicare patients ranges from 14-22%.