Profession
Uninsured problem lowers U.S. health system's performance score
■ An occasional snapshot of current facts and trends in medicine.
Quick View. Posted Aug. 18, 2008
| 2006 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy lives | 75 | 72 |
| Quality | 72 | 71 |
| Access | 67 | 58 |
| Efficiency | 52 | 53 |
| Equity | 70 | 71 |
| Overall score | 67 | 65 |
A new report grading how the American health care system delivers on a range of dimensions, from cost to quality, finds that matters are getting worse.
The verdict comes from the Commonwealth Fund, a New York City-based health care research organization. In 2006, the group reported that on a scale of zero to 100, the health system earned a 67 because of high costs, health disparities and inappropriate care. The 2008 grade dropped slightly, driven in large part by a 16% increase in the number of working-age adults who are uninsured or underinsured. Here is a breakdown of 2006 and 2008 grades in areas such as healthy lives (infant mortality, life expectancy, etc.) and equity (racial and ethnic health disparities).
Source: "Why Not the Best? Results From the National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance, 2008," Commonwealth Fund, July 17 (link)
