America's Health Care Compares Poorly, Part II

America ranks last in potential years of life lost to diseases of the circulatory system and the respiratory system.  

Gerard F. Anderson, Ph.D., and Patricia Markovich, Johns Hopkins researchers, have compared the performance of several nations' health systems in a report supported by The Commonwealth Fund, entitled Multinational Comparisons of Health Systems Data, 2008.  We ranked last among eight developed nations in potential years of life lost to diseases of the circulatory system.  (Click to enlarge graph.)

America suffered about 50 percent more potential years of life lost when compared to the next poorest performing country -- the United Kingdom.   France and Switzerland suffered fewer than half the potential years of life lost as the United States.

America also suffered the most potential years of life lost to diseases of the respiratory system.  Five of the eight countries compared had fewer than half as many potential years of life lost as did America.  (Click to enlarge graph.)

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will help America improve its performance on these measures, and those discussed yesterday.  Health reform will provide improved access to preventive services and more timely diagnosis and treatment of disease.  

Our cardiologists and vascular surgeons, our endocrinologists and pulmonologists are among the best in the world.  Health reform will get patients to primary care physicians early so that some disease can be prevented.  Because more of us will have regular access to primary care physicians, more disease will get diagnosed early.  This will enable patients to see specialists soon enough that they will be able to use their skill and knowledge to heal more of us.