U.S. behind France, Germany, U.K. in stopping preventable deaths

The Hill: Study: U.S. Tops France, Germany, UK In 'Potentially Preventable' Deaths
Americans younger than 65 are more likely to die from a lack of timely health care than their peers in France, Germany or the United Kingdom, according to a new study. Research published in Health Affairs looked at the rate of "potentially preventable" deaths -- deaths before age 75 that could be avoided with timely and effective health care -- and found that the United States lags behind its U.K. and European peers. The United States was also less effective than France, Germany and the United Kingdom in remedying the problem between 1999 and 2007, study authors wrote (Viebeck, 8/29).

WBUR: Report: U.S. Lags When It Comes To Preventable Deaths
More bad news for the U.S. health care system. According to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund, America is worst among three other industrialized nations when it comes to preventing avoidable deaths through timely, effective medical care. The problem, once again, is the lack of health insurance, the report suggests. (Things were worse for folks under 65; presumably those over that age qualify for Medicare.) (Zimmerman, 8/29).

Politico Pro: Study: U.S. Could Prevent More Deaths
America's health care system doesn't do as good a job of preventing avoidable deaths as health systems in other countries, a new study shows. A report posted online by Health Affairs on Wednesday compared the rates of "amenable mortality" -- deaths that could have been prevented by better health care -- in France, Germany, the United Kingdom (all countries that have universal health care) and the United States between 1999 and 2007. The research pointed to circulatory conditions like hypertension, as well as mortality rates due to surgical conditions and medical errors, as part of the problem with U.S. amenable deaths (Smith, 8/29).