Canada's Health Care System Just Ranked In The Bottom Two Among ‘High-Income’ Countries

Canada's health care system ranks in the bottom two among high-income countries, according to a new report.

The report, shared on Wednesday by The Commonwealth Fund, ranked the performance of the health care systems of 11 high-income countries based on factors like access to care, the care process, administrative efficiency and health care outcomes.

Countries like Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Norway were considered, alongside Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.

It was Norway, the Netherlands and Australia that topped the list, ranked first, second and third, respectively, while Canada ranked 10th and the U.S. came in last place.

The study scored Canada highly for its care process but ranked it lower for its access to care, equity, and health care outcomes.

"Compared to the other countries, the United States and Canada had larger income-related inequities in patient reported experiences," reads the report. This refers to financial barriers to accessing medical and dental care, in addition to difficulty obtaining after-hours care.

Despite falling just one place behind Canada in the list, the report says the performance of the U.S. health care system actually falls "far below" the countries before it.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.