POPULATION: 318.9 million
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTION: $17.42 trillion
USA
TOTAL HEALTH EXPENDITURES: 17.1%
TOTAL HEALTH EXPENDITURE PER CAPITA: $9,146
The United States’ public system is financed by payroll tax, premiums, and federal tax revenue for Medicare and by federal and state tax for Medicaid. Private insurance is the primary coverage in the United States with 56% of the population on an employer sponsored plan or individual plan. (Mossialos, Wenzl, Osborn & Anderson, 2015). The United States’ cap on cost-sharing is approximately $6,350 yearly for individuals and $12,700 for families and the United States’ benefit design protects and exempts Medicaid and Medicare recipients to include low- and middle-income families on the exchange (Mossialos et al., 2015).
LIFE EXPECTANCY: 78.74%
INFANT MORTALITY RATE: 5.96 deaths/1,000 live births
OBESITY RATE IN ADULTS: 33.9%
PRACTICING PHYSICIANS: 2.5/1,000 population
ADVANTAGES
The advantages to the United States health care system are: the United States world-renowned medical research systems (Harvard Medical School, the Mayo Clinic, and the Cleveland Clinic); the current free-market system does not bear the expenses of medical insurance on taxpayers (Christ, 2016); the United States ranked first in responsiveness; and the United States invests in advanced medical technologies and electronic health record systems.
1st in responsiveness
DISADVANTAGES
The disadvantages to the United States health care system are: health care expenditures are at its highest in the United States with minimal to worse health outcomes; affordability is an issue leaving individuals uninsured and underinsured (Christ, 2016); the United States ranked low relative to other countries in areas of prevention and care for chronic conditions and had the highest rate of deaths from conditions that could have been prevented or treated successfully; patient safety problems appear more prevalent in the United States than elsewhere (Docteur & Berenson, 2009); most expensive health care system in the world spending $9,146 per capita (World Bank Data, 2016).
Most expensive
health care system in the world.
HOW DOES THE U.S. COMPARE TO THE WHO's TOP 3 HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS?
