The US healthcare system continues to lag far behind other high-income countries, an analysis by the Commonwealth Fund shows.
It has retained its dismal ranking since 2004, when the nonprofit launched its surveys. Ten nations, including Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US, were compared on healthcare system aspects such as access, care process, administrative efficiency, equity, and health outcomes.
Screenshot of chart showing healthcare system performance compared to spending.
© Photo : David Blumenthal et al
How Broken Is the US Healthcare System?
The US showed the worst overall performance despite spending more per capita on healthcare than any other nation (16% of its GDP in 2022).
It ranked lowest in both accessibility and healthcare outcomes, with 26 million Americans having no insurance, and a quarter of the working age population underinsured.
As inflation fuels costs, over 40% of Americans spent at least $1,000 on healthcare out-of-pocket last year, per the survey.
At 77.5 years, US life expectancy is over four years below the 10-country average (the same as sanction-riddled Iran).
The US has the highest rates of preventable and treatable deaths for all ages.
Over 107,000 people died from overdoses in 2023 amid a raging substance abuse crisis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There were 43,000 gun-related deaths in 2023, according to a report by the National Institute of Health Care Management.
Recent surveys indicate that healthcare is among the top priorities for voters in the November presidential election.