US ranks last in healthcare systems
A study comparing the healthcare systems of developed nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK, Sweden, and Switzerland, has placed the US at the bottom of the list.
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According to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, based in the US, the US healthcare system was compared with those of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The US was identified as the country with the worst healthcare services among the 10 developed nations included in the study.
Despite Americans paying nearly twice as much for healthcare as people in other countries, the US healthcare system performed poorly in terms of equity, access to care, and outcomes.
Dr. Joseph Betancourt, President of the Commonwealth Fund, stated in a release, "I see the human toll of these shortcomings every day. There are patients who cannot afford their medications. Elderly patients are sicker than they should be because they have spent much of their lives without insurance."
Betancourt noted that it is time to build a healthcare system that provides quality and affordable services for all Americans.
NO SIGNIFICANT HEALTHCARE REFORMS PROPOSED
Meanwhile, high healthcare costs are also negatively impacting employee wages. Ahead of the upcoming presidential election, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump have not proposed significant healthcare reforms.
It was observed that a large portion of voters questioned about healthcare services ranked cost as their top concern.
AVERAGE OF 13 THOUSAND DOLLARS SPENT ANNUALLY ON HEALTHCARE
According to research conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, doctor and insurance costs stand out as the most important issue for 42 percent of Democrats and 45 percent of Republicans. According to federal government data, citizens spend more than 13 thousand dollars (442 thousand 807 lira) per person annually on healthcare.
In a written statement from the Commonwealth Fund, it was emphasized that the US needs to expand insurance coverage and make "meaningful" improvements to the amount of out-of-pocket healthcare expenses patients pay. The statement noted that to increase administrative efficiency, the complexity and variety in insurance plans should be minimized and a viable public health system should be established.
In the World Health Organization's 2016 "healthcare system performance" ranking, the US placed 37th out of 191 countries.