US healthcare still stupidly expensive, with pathetic outcomes, study finds
Recorded: May 31, 2026, 11 p.m.
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US healthcare still stupidly expensive, with pathetic outcomes, study finds - Ars Technica Skip to content Ars Technica home Sections Forum Subscribe Search AI Biz & IT Cars Culture Gaming Health Policy Science Security Space Tech Feature Reviews AI Biz & IT Cars Culture Gaming Health Policy Science Security Space Tech Forum Subscribe Story text Size Small Width Standard Links Standard * Subscribers only Pin to story Theme HyperLight Day & Night Dark System Search Sign In Deadly failure US healthcare still stupidly expensive, with pathetic outcomes, study finds There are strategies to improve healthcare, but US isn’t trying them. Beth Mole May 28, 2026 4:18 pm | 224 Credit:
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Text Story text Size Small Width Standard Links Standard * Subscribers only Minimize to nav An updated analysis comparing healthcare systems across 20 countries finds once again that the US system is an outstandingly poor performer, summarized as being a “persistent failure” for its high costs, poor health outcomes, and premature deaths. The report highlighted critical weaknesses in the US healthcare system, including having the fewest primary care providers of all countries in the analysis. The US has 0.3 primary care providers per 1,000 people, while the overall average is 1.1 providers per 1,000, and the highest-ranking countries, Australia and the Netherlands, have 1.8. The US produces new physicians at one of the lowest rates and also has among the lowest hospital bed capacity levels. Beth Mole Beth Mole Beth is Ars Technica’s Senior Health Reporter. Beth has a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and attended the Science Communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She specializes in covering infectious diseases, public health, and microbes. 224 Comments Comments Forum view Loading comments... Prev story Next story Most Read 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Customize Ars Technica has been separating the signal from More Contact Manage Preferences |
A comparative analysis of healthcare systems across twenty countries, including the United States, reveals that the US system is characterized as a persistent failure due to its exorbitant costs, unsatisfactory health outcomes, and premature mortality. This analysis, conducted by The Commonwealth Fund using 2024 data, places the US system in a significantly poor performance category when compared to nearly two dozen other nations. The financial burden of the US system is stark; in 2024, the US allocated eighteen percent of its gross domestic product to healthcare, nearly double the average of the surveyed countries, which was nine point three percent. Moreover, the US spends substantially more on per-person care and prescription medications, which contributes to Americans frequently skipping necessary treatments, tests, and consultations due to prohibitive costs. This disparity in allocation is underscored by the fact that the US has the fewest primary care providers relative to its population, with only 0.3 providers per thousand people, contrasting sharply with the average of 1.1 providers per thousand and the top-ranking nations like Australia and the Netherlands, which recorded 1.8 providers per thousand. Furthermore, the US exhibits low rates of physician production and limited hospital bed capacity. Health outcomes further illustrate the system's deficiencies. The US life expectancy at birth ranked third lowest among the assessed countries at seventy-nine years, whereas countries like Spain, Japan, and Switzerland reported significantly longer lifespans. The system also demonstrated uniquely poor performance regarding preventable deaths; the US registered the second-highest avoidable mortality rate and the second-highest rating for years of potential life lost, a metric used to quantify premature deaths. In terms of health equity, the report noted critical disparities. While the US experienced a high overall maternal death rate, specific demographic groups faced severe inequities, such as a maternal mortality rate of fifty deaths per one hundred thousand live births for Black women, compared to an average of nine point five across the group and lower rates in eleven other nations. Additionally, the study highlighted issues related to mental health access, noting that the US had the third-highest suicide rate, with these rates being particularly elevated and rising in rural areas due to restricted access to medical and mental health services. A fundamental structural weakness identified was the lack of universal health coverage among high-income peer nations; the US is the sole high-income country in the study that does not offer universal coverage. Other countries, including Mexico, either lacked universal coverage or were in the process of establishing plans for universal care. The research concludes that alternative strategies for improving healthcare—such as cost containment, strengthening primary care infrastructure, and addressing systemic inequities—have been successfully implemented in other countries, prompting the observation that the United States has failed to pursue these viable alternatives. |