The Commonwealth Fund report, “U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2019: Higher Spending, Worse Outcomes”, compared health spending, outcomes, and other health measures in the US to 10 other of the wealthiest developed nations: Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand.

As explained by Sara Heath of Patient Engagement HIT, the good news is that the US is leading the world’s wealthiest nations in such preventive care tactics as flu shots for older adults and breast cancer screenings, and enjoys the highest five-year breast cancer survival rate.* However, despite spending the most on healthcare, the US suffered some of the worst health outcomes.

Hurting People

Key findings concerning US health outcomes included:

• the highest rate of hospitalizations for preventable conditions such as diabetes and hypertension
• the highest rate of premature death among patients with diabetes, hypertension, and certain types of cancer
• the worst survival rate for cervical cancer
• the lowest life expectancy
• the highest suicide rate

Barriers to Care

• The report attributed these results to a lack of affordable, accessible primary and preventive care, as well as specialty care, for many Americans.
• High primary care costs led to fewer doctor visits but greater numbers of expensive drugs, tests, and invasive procedures.
• Among the comparison countries, the US showed the second-highest number of MRIs and hip replacements.

Barriers to adequate care are harmful whether you’re currently healthy or living with an adverse health condition such as CKD. According to a study in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, most people with CKD don’t seek health care until they are already in the later stages of the disease. Meanwhile, young people (under age 65), who are at higher risk of fast disease progression, report moderate-to-extreme difficulty obtaining necessary care at all stages.

Easier Access Needed 

As the report pointed out, the exorbitant amount of money spent on healthcare in the US is wasted if Americans do not have easy access to physicians with the knowledge, authority, and responsibility to help them.

In response to the dismal findings, the report called for increased funding to improve primary care access and utilization for all Americans. This would enhance outcomes relative to spending, and bring US health measures into a competitive position among peer nations.

“Americans are living shorter, unhealthier lives because our health system is not working as well as it could be,” said David Blumenthal, MD, president of Commonwealth Fund. “We can do better, and we should start by assuring everyone can get the care they need, when they need it.”

Read the full article at Patient Engagement HIT. 

*Heath, S. (2020, February 6). Limited Primary Care Access Leads to Poor Outcomes, High Spending. Patient Engagement HIT.