Why Is the USA Only the 35th Healthiest Country in the World?
By ETIENNE DEFFARGES
According the 2019 Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, the U.S. ranks 35th out of 169 countries. Even though we are the 11th wealthiest country in the world, we are behind pretty much all developed economies in terms of health. In the Americas, not just Canada (16th) but also Cuba (30th), Chile and Costa Rica (tied for 33rd) rank ahead of us in this Bloomberg study.
To answer this layered question, we need to look at the top ranked countries in the Bloomberg Index: From first to 12th, they are Spain; Italy; Iceland; Japan; Switzerland; Sweden; Australia; Singapore; Norway; Israel; Luxembourg; and France. What are they doing right that the U.S. isn’t? In a nutshell, they embrace half a dozen critical economic and societal traits that are absent in the U.S.:
· Universal health care
· Better diet: fresh ingredients and less packaged and processed food
· Strict regulations limiting opioid prescriptions
· Lower levels of economic inequality
· Severe and effective gun control laws
· Increased attention when driving
When it comes to access to health care, the 34 countries that are ahead of the U.S. in the Bloomberg health rankings all offer universal health care to their people. This means that preventive, primary and acute care is available to 100% of the population. In contrast, 25 – 30 million Americans do not have health care insurance, and an equal ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Economics Health disparities Health Policy American healthcare Etienne Deffarges Mediterranean Diet Opioids world health Source Type: blogs
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