The
medical accomplishments and breakthroughs made over the last decade have made
positive differences in the U.S. health care system; however healthier living
styles and longer lifespan are not among those differences. According to the
January 9th report released by a panel assembled by the U.S.
National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, the U.S. performed
poorly in health outcomes rankings at every age from birth to 75 years. In
comparison to the inhabitants of the sixteen other high income “peer”
countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, featured in the
report, Americans are less healthy, have more chronic disease and disability,
and die relatively younger than their international counterparts. The report
demonstrated the specific nine health outcomes in which Americans performed the
worst: infant mortality and low birth weight; injuries and homicide; adolescent
pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections; HIV and AIDS; drug related
deaths; obesity and diabetes; heart disease; chronic lung disease; and
disability. The report suggests that the U.S. health care system’s weaknesses,
which include shortage of primary care
and public health services, may have contributed to the poor rankings; however
the report also suggests that the health care system is not likely to be solely
responsible, as social, environmental, and policy factors are also considered.
Nevertheless, the panel recommends a number of solutions: a “strengthened
national commitment” to resolve the aforementioned issues, a “robust outreach
effort” to raise public awareness to “stimulate a national discussion” and an
“examination of the policies and approaches” of other countries that may be
successfully adapted and applied in the United States.
Reference: McCarthy , Michael. "People in US have poorer health and die younger than those in other rich countries." BMJ. 346.f215 (2013): n. page. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. .
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