A recent report by the Commonwealth Fund ranked the United States health system as the worst among 10 peer nations, despite Americans paying nearly double for healthcare. The system performed poorly in terms of health equity, access to care, and outcomes. Dr. Joseph Betancourt, president of the Commonwealth Fund, emphasized the need for a health system that provides quality and affordable care for all Americans.
While healthcare costs are a top concern for voters, neither Democratic nominee Kamala Harris nor Republican nominee Donald Trump have proposed major healthcare reforms. The report highlighted the need for expanding insurance coverage, reducing out-of-pocket expenses for patients, simplifying insurance plans, strengthening primary care and public health systems, and investing in social wellbeing.
The Commonwealth Fund’s report is the 20th in their “Mirror, Mirror” series, comparing the US health system to other wealthy democracies. The report used 70 indicators across various sectors to assess the US health system’s performance.
Reginald D Williams II, vice-president of the fund, pointed out that other countries do not rely as heavily on their health systems to address social issues like poverty and discrimination. Recommendations to improve the US health system’s standing among peer nations include expanding insurance coverage, reducing out-of-pocket expenses, simplifying insurance plans, and investing in social wellbeing.
The report emphasized the need for significant changes in the US health system and the importance of the upcoming election in determining the direction of healthcare policy.
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Photo credit www.theguardian.com
