U.S. Health Coverage Still Ranks Low in Quality
Everyone knows that America's health care system needs a serious overhaul, but the situation may be worse than many of us realize. A 2009 report from the Business Roundtable suggests that – in comparison to other countries – America's health care system is not only in need of change, but it's also an economic liability that might be making people sicker.
For years, experts have been concerned about our health care system with its spiraling costs, strained budgets, and service cuts. Americans spend an average of almost $2,000 a year on health care – almost 2.5 times more than any other economically advanced country. The total annual figure tops out at around $2.4 trillion.
The Health Insurance Crisis Doesn't Stop at High Costs
That's not the whole story, though. The Business Roundtable report not only suggests that we are paying too much for our health coverage and care, but also that we're not getting the high standard of care that other countries achieve.
The report also took health care costs into account and factored in the benefits that citizens receive. The Business Roundtable report looked at statistics on life expectancy and death rates, as well as markers such as blood pressure and cholesterol. Those figures were then factored into the equation along with the cost analysis.
The results are somewhat discouraging. The cost-and-benefit analysis puts the United States behind a total of five countries of similar economic standing: Canada, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France. In all five countries, a common thread runs through the health care system. All five provide health care coverage for every citizen, and in all five countries the government plays a more active role in the health care system than the U.S government does. Although the Health Care Reform Act of 2010 helped remedy the situation, we still remain in the same position as we did when the report was published.
Quality of Care and Coverage Doesn't Solely Rely On Spending
According to Dr. Arnold Milstein, one of the study's authors, the higher healthcare spending wouldn't be a big problem if the extra spending resulted in better healthcare outcomes for Americans. But it seems that exactly the opposite is happening – the U.S is spending more on lower quality healthcare.
Even though the leading five countries each has a successful government-run health care system, the Business Roundtable report isn't advocating a similar system for the U.S. Instead, the report suggests that health care choices remain in the hands of consumers, and that the government provide a health care safety-net for people who can't afford to buy private insurance.
Get your FREE health insurance quote now >>
http://www.businessroundtable.org/publication/health_care_value_comparability_study_full_report