Dive Brief:
- In a report issued last week, The Commonwealth Fund found that the US ranked poorly compared to 10 other countries on key indicators for those who are 65 and older.
- In the report, the United States was compared to Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, France and Canada.
- One big finding: The cost of care in the United States is such that seniors often skip care. Another factor contributing to less-stellar health: Older Americans had the highest prevalence of chronic conditions. The survey found that 87% of older Americans had at least one chronic health condition and 68% reported two or more chronic conditions.
Dive Insight:
Given that seniors are responsible for a growing portion of their medical bills—and Medicare is less and less helpful—the report's findings are unsurprising. According to the report, 11% of older Americans said they had trouble paying their medical bills, compared with 1% in Norway and Sweden. On the bright side, both the US and UK scored well in areas related to actually managing chronic illness.
With an increased emphasis among healthcare providers on population health management and quality metrics, there's hope that senior health will improve, but it's still unclear whether that will have any measurable impact on a cash-strapped 65-year-old's ability to pay for her medications.
