Posted by Michael Wonder on 15 Jul 2017
U.S. health care system has widest gap between people with higher and lower incomes
14 July 2017 - New international ranking underscores the importance of health insurance coverage and strong primary care.
Your level of income defines the health care you receive far more in the United States than in other wealthy nations, according to the Commonwealth Fund’s new 11-country report. The study, the only to include survey data to measure and compare patient and physician experiences across wealthy nations, ranks the U.S. last overall, and on providing equally accessible and high-quality health care, regardless of a person’s income.
For example, in the United Kingdom, 7% of people with lower incomes and 4% with higher incomes reported that costs prevented them from getting needed health care—a three percentage point gap between those with higher and lower incomes. In the U.S., 44% of lower income and 26% of higher income people reported financial barriers to care. Remarkably, a high-income person in the U.S. was more likely to report financial barriers than a low-income person in the U.K.
