Another health care-related badge of shame for the United States: A new study finds that we lead among 16 high-income nations in preventable deaths.

preventable death chart
New York, NY, September 23, 2011—The United States placed last among 16 high-income, industrialized nations when it comes to deaths that could potentially have been prevented by timely access to effective health care, according to a Commonwealth Fund–supported study that appeared online in the journal Health Policy this week and will be available in print on October 25th as part of the November issue. According to the study, other nations lowered their preventable death rates an average of 31 percent between 1997–98 and 2006–07, while the U.S. rate declined by only 20 percent, from 120 to 96 per 100,000. At the end of the decade, the preventable mortality rate in the U.S. was almost twice that in France, which had the lowest rate—55 per 100,000.[...]

"This study points to substantial opportunity to prevent premature death in the United States. We spend far more than any of the comparison countries—up to twice as much—yet are improving less rapidly," said Commonwealth Fund Senior Vice President Cathy Schoen. "The good news is we know lower death rates are achievable if we enhance access and ensure high-quality care regardless of where you live. Looking forward, reforms under the Affordable Care Act have the potential to reduce the number of preventable deaths in the U.S. We have the potential to join the leaders among high-income countries."

The authors concluded that the poor performance and relatively slow improvement of the United States is because of "the lack of universal coverage and high costs of care." That, of course, goes beyond the specific issue of our health care system and is also a factor of income inequality in this country. While the survey's latest data comes from 2007, the numbers have probably not improved in the last three and a half years, compounded by things like continued high unemployment.

The Affordable Care Act will help to drastically shrink the number of Americans who are uninsured and provide affordable insurance coverage. The next fight will be providing not just near-universal coverage, but universal access to actual health care. There's certainly no reason this country doesn't have the capacity of other highly developed nations. And there is certainly no reason for this country to have a higher infant mortality rate than Malaysia, Cuba and Poland.