Health care for older adults around the world: A slideshow

Author(s):

Richard Payerchin

Key Takeaways

The U.S. provides Medicare coverage to nearly all adults aged 65 and older, yet ranks poorly in healthcare accessibility compared to other developed countries.
High out-of-pocket costs in the Medicare program hinder affordable care for older Americans, potentially leading to worse health outcomes and higher long-term costs.
The Commonwealth Fund survey compares the U.S. with countries like Australia, Canada, and the UK, highlighting disparities in healthcare affordability and accessibility for older adults.

The Commonwealth Fund compares United States with other developed nations.

Medicare is helping older adults receive health care in the United States.

Even so, the nation ranks badly across measures compared with other developed countries for health care accessibility for patients aged 65 years and older.

“Health Care Affordability for Older Adults: How the U.S. Compares to Other Countries,” is a survey by The Commonwealth Fund to detail how traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage compare with health care for older adults around the world.

The good news: “Like several other countries, nearly all adults age 65 and older in the U.S. have health coverage,” the study said.

The bad news is that “high out-of-pocket costs in the Medicare program may still make it more difficult for older Americans to receive affordable care compared to older adults in other countries,” according to The Commonwealth Fund. The beneficiary costs can reach into the thousands of dollars, the study said. That is significant, and when patients don’t get care they need, they end up sicker, which ultimately costs more for Medicare long term, the study said.

The findings compare the United States with Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

This slideshow presents data from “Health Care Affordability for Older Adults: How the U.S. Compares to Other Countries,” by The Commonwealth Fund. The slides show the United States rankings, and highs and lows from across the globe for older adults, aged 65 years and older, and health care.