Many Americans agree that they live a pretty good life. It is the land of opportunity, you know. The United States has a lot of power in the world, and a pretty high level of respect by other countries, most would agree.
But, did you know that when it comes to maintaining the health of its citizens, the US rates last amongst other prosperous countries? Our health care system is the most expensive system, even though millions of Americans are uninsured. We score very low in access, efficiency and quality. All of this points to sicker Americans, with more chronic diseases, who die at an earlier age than in other countries. Physicians and patients from 6 countries were interviewed (Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the United States) about their health care experiences. The US ranked last in most areas. Many Americans also do not have a regular physician. We spend billions of health care each year, but are getting very little value for our money. This study also found that the US falls behind in areas of health information technology.
Another study looked at the possible causes of our enormous health care costs. Many individuals in our country are dealing with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease. We do not spend money wisely when it comes to preventative care.
Information from WHO (World Health Organization) points out the following statistics to consider.
Percentage of Gross Domestic Production spent on health care in the US (2007 figures) is 15.3%. This is in comparison to Japan at 8%, United Kingdom at 8.3%, Germany (10.7%) Switzerland (11.6%)
The life expectancy at birth for a United States citizen is lower than other countries, all of which have a universal health care system in place for their citizens. Someone born in the US can hope to live to age 77. This is lower than Japan (82.1) United Kingdom (79) Germany (79) Switzerland (81.3)
The US has higher levels of infant mortality. Japan has 2.8%, United Kingdom has 5.1, Germany 3.9, Switzerland 4.2 and the US soars above at 6.8%.
Information from:
1.http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/etc/graphs.html
2.Commondreams.org
Comments on this entry are closed.