More on the State of U.S. Health Care

I sort of buried this statistic in the last article, but I want to expound on the subject today.

In 2006, The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health Care System published a study called The National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance, which provided the first ever comprehensive, soup-to-nuts evaluation of the U.S. health care system.

Our health care system was ranked based on 37 indicators, including, quality, efficiency, access, satisfaction, etc.

On average, the U.S. scored 66 out of a possible 100. That's not even a passing grade.

Here are some examples of the specific findings:

• One third of U.S. residents over the age of 65 are under insured.
• One third of U.S. residents under the age of 65 have problems paying their medical bills.
• Barely half of the adults surveyed received preventative screening based on markers of age and sex.
• Our infant mortality rate is more than double that of the top three countries surveyed.

I grew up thinking that U.S. health care was the best in the world. That may have been true in the past, but right now it's hit or miss.

And if you think we've improved since 2006, take a look at this.

What can you do to change this? Vote for a candidate that's committed to reforming health care. Take responsibility for your own health by engaging in preventative care, keeping yourself well and leading a healthy, balanced life.

More on this sooner rather than later...