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Health Studies and Reports

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Underperformance in Affluence
In this 2007 article, the authors use the complete set of NHES and NHANES data collected between 1959 and 2004 in order to construct trends for the physical stature of the non-Hispanic white and black US adult population and compare them to those of Western- and Northern-Europeans. According to the findings, the American population had been the tallest in the world for two centuries until World War II, but by the end of the 20th century fell behind many of their European counterparts. The authors conjecture that the American health-care system, as well as the relatively weak welfare safety net might be the reason why human growth in the United States has not performed as well in relative terms as one would expect on the basis of income. The comparative pattern bears some similarly to that of life expectancy insofar as the US is also lagging behind in that respect.

The Quality of Ambulatory Care Delivered to Children in the United States
This 2007 article, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, argues that the for-profit U.S. health care system is failing America’s children, even those who have health insurance.

United Nations (UNICEF) State of the World's Children 2006 Report
UNICEF states that “the 2006 report highlights the millions of children who have not been the beneficiaries of past gains, the ones who are excluded or “invisible”. These are children without adequate access to education, to life-saving vaccines, to protection. Despite enormous efforts to reach children with needed services, millions continue to die every year. As the world presses ahead with the strategies, initiatives and financing needed to realize the vision of the Millennium Declaration, it must not allow the children most in need of care and protection – the excluded and the invisible – to be forgotten.”

The U.S. Healthcare Divide: Disparities in Primary Care Experiences by Income
Based on data from the Commonwealth Fund 2004 International Health Policy Survey, which studied adults in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, this 2006 report finds a wide health care divide by income. There is a health care gap not only separating the U.S. from the other four countries, but also one standing between lower-income and higher-income Americans. Among the countries surveyed, the U.S. stands out for income-based disparities in patient experiences, with below-average-income U.S. adults reporting the worst experiences—compared with their counterparts in the other four countries—on most measures of primary care access, coordination, and doctor-patient relationships. Although a lack of health insurance intensified the disparities, with uninsured U.S. adults often forgoing needed care, insurance coverage does not level the playing field. Even when insured, below-average-income Americans under the age of 65 were more likely to report access problems and delays than insured, above-average-income adults.

Health at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2005
This is the third edition of the series “Health at a Glance – OECD Indicators.” It provides the latest comparable data and trends on different aspects of the performance of health systems in OECD countries. It provides striking evidence of large variations across countries in indicators of health status and health risks, and in the costs, allocation of resources and outputs of health systems. Compared to the previous edition, it contains an expanded set of indicators related to health promotion and disease prevention, reflecting growing policy interest in striking a better balance between spending on prevention and care.

The World Health Report
“The World Health Report, first published in 1995, is WHO's leading publication. Each year the report combines an expert assessment of global health, including statistics relating to all countries, with a focus on a specific subject. The main purpose of the report is to provide countries, donor agencies, international organizations and others with the information they need to help them make policy and funding decisions.” The 2007 report is entitled “ A Safer Future: Global Public Health Security in the 21 st Century .”