Health Care Costs, Error Rates Higher in U.S. Than in Other Countries

According to a Commonwealth Fund survey, out-of-pocket health care costs and medical error rates are higher for patients in the U.S. than in five other Western nations (Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand and Germany). For the report, researchers surveyed 6,957 adults between March and June 2005 who recently had been hospitalized, had surgery or reported health problems. The study, "Taking The Pulse Of Health Care Systems: Experiences Of Patients With Health Problems In Six Countries," was published in the online (November 3, 2005) version of Health Affairs at http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w5.509/DC1