Health Inequality in the World

Chicago – Americans with chronic illnesses struggle more to pay their medical bills or need more help than their counterparts in other high-income countries, according to a survey by the Commonwealth Fund.


The survey studied 18-thousand adults not in the United States, but in ten other countries around the world. Past reports by the nonpartisan group have been used by politicians and policymakers who advocate for healthcare reform. Chances are this one will be touted as a strong argument it.


“Despite spending far more on health care than any other country, the United States practically stands alone when it comes to people with illness or chronic conditions having difficulty affording health care and paying medical bills,” says Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis.


The survey, which took place over the telephone, included those who were in fair or good health, had surgery in the recent years, or treated for a serious illness or injury in the past year.


Forty-two percent of the 1,200 U.S. adults in the survey went without care, visiting a doctor, or not getting a prescription filled, as a result of costs. and more than a quarter (27%) said they couldn't pay, the study found. The comparison with countries like Australia, Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, reveals at the most a 41-point gap. Those countries had between one and 14 percent.


More than seven out of ten people in Britain, Switzerland, France, New Zealand, and the Netherlands were found to be able to get an appointment for their illnesses on the same day or the next. Half of the Canadian and Swiss patients are able to get the same speedy care.


Adults under the age of 65, 51 percent, didn't have care because of the costs when compared to those older than 65, who were under Medicare.


For more information about health inequality, visit the CommonWealthFund website.