This continues to be fascinating:
“The U.S. health system is the most expensive in the world, but comparative analyses consistently show the United States underperforms relative to other countries on most dimensions of performance. Among the seven nations studied—Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States—the U.S. ranks last overall, as it did in the 2007, 2006, and 2004. Most troubling, the U.S. fails to achieve better health outcomes than the other countries, and as shown in the earlier editions, the U.S. is last on dimensions of access, patient safety, coordination, efficiency, and equity. The Netherlands ranks first, followed closely by the U.K. and Australia.”
At least the US soccer team had a good world cup run . . .
>
>
Hat tip: Stick with a Nose
Sources:
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: How the Performance of the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally
Karen Davis, Ph.D., Cathy Schoen, M.S., and Kristof Stremikis, M.P.P.
Commonwealth fund, June 23, 2010 <br>http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2010/Jun/Mirror-Mirror-Update.aspx
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall (PDF)
What's been said:
Discussions found on the web: