Perils in US Healthcare

Americans frustrated with healthcare system, according to New York Times.


"Americans are increasingly frustrated about the subpar performance of this country's fragmented healthcare system, and with good reason."

A recent survey by the Commonwealth Fund found that thirty-three percent of "American respondents felt their system is so dysfunctional that it needs to be rebuilt completely -- the highest rate in any country surveyed."

Respondents from all socio-economic backgrounds gave the system low scores. The investigators "interviewed some 12,000 adults in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States."

They found that many Americans went without healthcare because of costs, and just 50 percent "of the American adults were able to see a doctor the same day that they became sick or the day after, a worse showing than in all the other countries except Canada."

The Times concludes that the survey results "underscore the need to ensure that all Americans have quick access to a primary care doctor, and the need for universal health coverage."