In collaboration with international partners, The Commonwealth Fund's international program conducts annual surveys of patients and clinicians in 11 high-income countries. The surveys delve into financial barriers to care, chronic disease management, and satisfaction with care, among other topics.
The most recent survey found that that adults in the United States are far more likely than those in other countries to go without needed care because of costs and to struggle to afford basic necessities such as housing and healthy food. U.S. adults are also more likely to report having poor health and emotional distress. Bright spots for the U.S. include rates of timely access to specialist care, discussion with a physician about ways to lead a healthy life, and coordinated hospital discharge planning
