Researchers: U.S. Lagging in Healthcare Gains

10/10/2010

Writing in the journal Health Affairs, researchers Peter Muennig and Sherry Glied noted that the U.S. is performing relatively poorly in comparison to other developed nations when it comes to life expectancy.

The researchers were looking at 15-year survival rates for U.S. residents aged 45 to 65 but wrote that "none of the prevailing excuses for the poor performance of the U.S. healthcare system are likely to be valid."

Researchers also pointed out that they took various factors like obesity and unhealthy habits like smoking into account, as well as the large numbers of uninsured people in the U.S.

In their report, the researchers cited evidence that the value of healthcare spending in the 65 and above population has been losing its value in recent years.

Other research has found that people who have a health insurance policy are more likely to have a longer life expectancy and to catch looming medical problems before they emerge. This is because having a health insurance policy also makes many people more likely to visit their primary care physician as opposed to seeking treatment at an emergency room when a medical problem becomes serious.

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