(CNN) The US once again ranked last in access to health care, equity and outcomes among high-income countries, despite spending a far greater share of its economy on health care, a new report released Wednesday has found. The US is the only one of the 11 countries surveyed not to have universal health insurance coverageWhile the latest data does not reflect the impact of the coronavirus pandemic , it lays out the strengths and weaknesses of each country's health care system when Covid-19 hit the world in early 2020. US health insurance does not provide enough protections, which compromises Americans' health and finances, said David Blumenthal, president of the Commonwealth Fund, which promotes better health care access and quality, particularly for the uninsured and disadvantaged. That forces people to skip care or become burdened with medical debt"In no other country does income inequality so profoundly limit access to care as it does here," Blumenthal said. Norway, the Netherlands, and Australia were the best performers in the study, which looked at access to care, health care outcomes, administrative efficiency, equity and care process, which includes preventative care, patient engagement and other metrics.

Source: CNN August 04, 2021 03:56 UTC