Nearly half of American adults faced medical bill issues in last year – survey – Guardian
“‘In some cases, lower-income people in other countries are better off than higher-income Americans,’ said Munira Gunja, lead author of the study and senior researcher at the Commonwealth Fund , though both ‘lower-income and higher-income adults both really struggle to use their healthcare’.
“The findings come from the Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit that has produced several frequently cited comparative international health analyses, and are part of the group’s 2023 International Health Policy Survey.
“The result come as the Federal Reserve, and central banks around the world, are battling post-pandemic inflation. Inflation slowed to 3.2% in October 2023, but that is unlikely to give Americans much breathing room on health expenses. The cost of healthcare typically outpaces inflation, and since 1980s has consumed an ever-increasing share of GDP…
“Despite runaway spending, Americans also have among the worst outcomes. Recent work by population researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University, found US life expectancy has slipped for decades and now ranks 46th among 200 nations.
“People in the UK had among the best rates of access to care. There, 16% of respondents with low or average incomes and 10% of respondents with high incomes said they faced a financial problem accessing healthcare. Only high-income earners in Germany, the Netherlands and France fared better, with 6% in all countries reporting a cost-related care issue.”