Studies Evaluating healthcare quality

The United State consistently falls behind other countries of comparatively healthy populations in studies evaluating healthcare quality. Poor access to care in particular is a major factor setting the United States apart from other nations.

The Washington Post notes, based on results of the publication from the Commonwealth Fund, “The high performers stand apart from the United States in providing universal coverage and removing cost barriers, investing in primary care systems to reduce inequities, minimizing administrative burdens, and investing in social services among children and working-age adults” (Parker, 2021).

Access to care is highly correlated with health inequities and the structure of the US healthcare system perpetuates these disparities. For example, Canada’s universal, fixed, single payer insurance program ensures that every citizen receives the same coverage regardless of age and employment, and at significantly lower cost compared to the US (Bodenheimer, 2020).

As a result, only 16% of Canadians experienced cost-related barriers to healthcare in 2016 compared to 33% of US citizens (Bodenheimer, 2020). Similarly, in Germany, a government-run health fund distributes employer and employee tax funding to health funds “based on a risk-adjusted amount per insured person,” but still does not use experience rating, preventing exclusion from coverage based on medical condition (Bodenheimer, 2020).

The US must work to adopt a more collective model of healthcare where citizens mutually contribute to a fund that benefits individuals regardless of health-related factors or ability to pay. However, the wide range of social and political opinions among citizens makes our ability to compromise on a more equitable model of care increasingly challenging.