A recent Commonwealth Fund study shows that the U.S. health care system compares unfavorably to that of other industrialized countries. According to the Hattiesburg American, the U.S. has an alarmingly high infant mortality rate when compared to that of other countries. Also, people who have reached the age of 60 are more likely to die sooner in the U.S. than they would in other industrialized nations.
The study rates countries according to health outcomes, quality, access, equity, and efficiency. The U.S. received a failing score of 66 out of 100.
So, why are the outcomes worse in the US than many other countries, when we get earlier treatment and newer drugs, for the higher prices we pay for insurance?