Last month, a series of Commonwealth Fund–supported articles in Health Affairs brought to light international efforts to achieve better health care at lower costs. In a new blog post, Commonwealth president David Blumenthal, M.D., and vice president Robin Osborn, director of the International Program in Health Policy and Innovations, discuss the findings and explain why cross-national studies of fundamental health care issues are so important: they show where the U.S., and other countries, can do better, as well as the high levels of performance that are possible.
The authors point out that the health system overhaul now under way in the U.S. is unique in its scope—and may offer lessons to other nations. A related infographic shows that U.S. health spending alone is greater than the G.D.P. of all but four nations.