Since 2004, Commonwealth Fund research has found that despite spending far more on health care, the U.S. ranks last among health care systems of high-income countries. The Fund’s Mirror, Mirror 2017 report shows this trend continuing, with the U.S. lagging other countries on measures of access to care, equity, and affordability.
In an editorial for the New England Journal of Medicine, Commonwealth Fund Senior Vice President and report lead author Eric Schneider, M.D., and David Squires discuss the reasons behind America’s poor performance, including lack of access to health care, underinvestment in primary care, and pervasive disparities in care delivery. They also highlight ways to improve U.S. performance, like ensuring universal coverage and strengthening behavioral health care and social supports.