The U.S. Health Disadvantage And The Role Of Spending

Each week it seems, more evidence emerges regarding the poor health of Americans. We first documented a “U.S. health disadvantage” as chair and study director of the panel on understanding cross-national health differences among high-income countries at the National Academies in 2013. Our panel’s report Shorter Lives, Poorer Health showed that, as long ago as 1980, the United States began to take a different path in terms of the health and survival of its population. We found evidence that the U.S  health disadvantage compared to other countries existed among Americans at every age below 75, among all races/ethnicities, and among both men and women—but especially among women. We even found evidence of a health disadvantage among white, college-educated, non-obese, non-smoking, and health-insured Americans. Why is This Happening? Our panel considered the obvious explanations — deficiencies in the U.S. health care system, such as the lack of universal health insurance, and higher rates of unhealthy behaviors, such as those responsible for obesity. We also considered the physical and social environments in which Americans live, conditions that too often are not conducive to good health or longer lives. We documented the adverse socioeconomic conditions in the United States, such as inadequate education, higher poverty, especially child poverty, and greater income inequality than in other countries. We understood that all of these factors are powerful contributors ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Costs and Spending Equity and Disparities Featured Public Health Quality Europe Social Determinants of Health social spending Source Type: blogs