Health Care Reference Material for Quality, Costs, & Coverage

Bloomberg News reports, “The U.S. will cost you the most for treatment both in absolute terms and relative to average incomes, while life expectancy of Americans – about 79 years – was exceeded by more than 25 countries and territories according to an annual Bloomberg analysis of almost 200 economies.”

Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy from the CIA World Factbook. GBD rating from a Gates Foundation funded analysis of Global Burden of Disease study. WHO Rating from the World Health Organization. Bloomberg Ranking, $/Capita Expense, and Expense % of GDP from Bloomberg News.

The Census Bureau breaks down coverage for the insured as illustrated in the chart to the right (adjusted proportionately because some have two types of insurance during any one year.)

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated the number of uninsured under 65 at 27 million in 2016, about 10% of this population of 272 million.

According to the American Journal of Public Health, “The Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimated that 18,314 Americans aged between 25 and 64 die annually because of lack of health insurance, comparable to deaths because of diabetes, stroke or homicide…. For the entire uninsured population of roughly 41 million Americans in 2002, the aggregate, annualized cost of diminished health and shorter life span was estimated to be between $65 billion and $130 billion for each year of health insurance foregone…. In terms of direct costs to the health system (in 2001 dollars), the uninsured receive as much as $98 billion in medical care, $35 billion of which is considered uncompensated.”

Bloomberg News reports that, “An estimated 5 million of those without health insurance (27 million) are considered ‘uninsurable’ because of pre-existing conditions…. The costs of treating the uninsured must often be absorbed by providers as charity care, passed on to the insured via cost-shifting and higher health insurance premiums, or paid by taxpayers through higher taxes.”

The Commonwealth Fund declares, “The United States spends far more on health care than other high-income countries, with spending levels that rose continuously over the past three decades. Yet the U.S. population has poorer health than other countries.”

Healthline reports the trend in insulin pricing.