U.S. Ranks Below 16 Other Rich Countries in Health

Not news to global/public health folks, but I get such a kick out of hearing it reported on while listening to NPR, and not just reading it in an academic journal.

A new report from the National Academy of Sciences finds that, in terms of health, "even Americans who are white, insured, college-educated and upper-income are worse off than their counterparts around the world." And yet, the US spends far more on health care than any nation in the world. Given the investment into health in this country, why would the US have lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality rates than other high-income countries? Dr. David Kindig (University of Wisconsin), interviewed for this story, points to state-by-state analysis for answers: "Some of the healthiest states, like Minnesota, actually spend less on health care, and presumably that allows them to spend more on some of the other determinants of health..." Like education. Hmmm...Social determinants of health, anyone?

Thanks for this contribution, NPR & Richard Knox! Listen to the story here.
And here is a great (short!) report on this from the Institute of Medicine. Enjoy!