Study: Despite High Spending, US Receives Lowest Healthcare Score

Despite the fact that the US pays more per individual for healthcare costs, it continues to score the lowest in overall healthcare benefits.

According to the latest Commonwealth Fund comparison of the US Healthcare system, the US scored either last or second to last in each major category. The competition this year was from: Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The US finished last overall, and practically last in each major criteria test.

Julie Rovner, from NPR News had this to say about the test, “To come up with the rankings, researchers surveyed both doctors and patients. The criteria comprised quality, access, efficiency, equity, whether people in each country lived long and productive lives, and how much each country spent per person on care.” She continues with her perspective of the results, “About the only good news for America, said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis, who was also the study’s lead author, is that the new health law could put the U.S. on a path towards improvement.”