Infant Mortality Rate Increase
The report, "America's Health State: State Health Rankings," uncovers key
troubling trends: one including the first rise in infant mortality rates in
four decades. The increase in infant mortality from 6.9 to 7.0 births per
1,000 puts the U.S. 28th internationally in infant mortality, as well as
the finding that 14 states have preterm birth rates that exceed 13%.


http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/448d6.htm
U.S. Drops In Rank Of Industrialized Nations For Infant Mortality, Life
Expectancy
 
Dropping in ranking since 1997

BALTIMORE, MD -- November 11, 1997 -- Despite the fact that the United
States spends more money per capita on medical care than any other
industrialized nation in the world, it ranks in the bottom quartile of a
list of 29 industrialized nations in both life expectancy and infant
mortality and its relative ranking in both these categories has been
declining since 1960.

These and other findings about the relationship of the U.S. to other
countries in regard to cost, access and outcomes of health care were
published in yesterday's issue of Health Affairs.


"(The U.S.) spends more resources than any other industrialized nation by a
wide margin," said study author Gerard Anderson, PhD, professor of health
policy and management at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. "Yet,
between 1990 and 1995 the United States fell to position 23 out of the 29
leading industrialized nations in terms of infant mortality. This country
was ranked twentieth out of 29 in 1995 in terms of life expectancy for
women and twenty-first in terms of life expectancy for men."


Dr. Anderson used data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) on per capita health care spending, utilization rates,
health status, demographic factors and other topics. He
compared the recent performance of the U.S. health care system to other
countries, looking specifically at cost, access and outcomes. Included in
his findings were the following:


-- In 1996 the U.S. spent 14.2 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP)
on health care. The next closest country was Germany with 10.5 percent.


-- The U.S. also spent the most per capita on health care in that year with
$3,708 US spent per person on health care services, followed by Switzerland
with spending of $2,412 US.


-- Of all the G7 countries (U.S., France, Germany, Japan, Great Britain,
Canada and Italy) only the U.S. has not achieved nearly universal publicly
mandated health insurance coverage.


-- In 1995 only the U.S. had less than half of its population eligible for
publicly-mandated health insurance.


-- Between 1990 and 1995 the infant mortality rate in the U.S. declined to
8.0 per 1,000 live births but this still left the U.S. at 23 out of 29
industrialized countries because other countries had shown more rapid
improvement in reducing infant mortality.


-- In 1960, the U.S. was ranked 13th in life expectancy for women; in 1995,
it had slipped to 20th.


-- In 1960, the U.S. was ranked seventeenth in life expectancy for men; in
1995, that position had dropped to 21st.

******
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html
184 countries worse than US - see above for those..........
then this list goes in order of worst to best - last one
US worse than Cuba

185 United States  6.63  2004 est. 
186 Taiwan  6.52  2004 est. 
187 Cuba  6.45  2004 est. 
188 Faroe Islands  6.38  2004 est. 
189 Italy  6.07  2004 est. 
190 Man, Isle of  6.05  2004 est. 
191 Aruba  6.02  2004 est. 
192 New Zealand  5.96  2004 est. 
193 San Marino  5.85  2004 est. 
194 Greece  5.63  2004 est. 
195 Monaco  5.53  2004 est. 
196 Ireland  5.50  2004 est. 
197 Jersey  5.33  2004 est. 
198 Gibraltar  5.22  2004 est. 
199 United Kingdom  5.22  2004 est. 
200 Portugal  5.13  2004 est. 
201 Netherlands  5.11  2004 est. 
202 Luxembourg  4.88  2004 est. 
203 Canada  4.82  2004 est. 
204 Guernsey  4.78  2004 est. 
205 Liechtenstein  4.77  2004 est. 
206 Australia  4.76  2004 est. 
207 Belgium  4.76  2004 est. 
208 Austria  4.68  2004 est. 
209 Denmark  4.63  2004 est. 
210 Slovenia  4.50  2004 est. 
211 Spain  4.48  2004 est. 
212 Switzerland  4.43  2004 est. 
213 Macau  4.39  2004 est. 
214 France  4.31  2004 est. 
215 Germany  4.20  2004 est. 
216 Andorra  4.05  2004 est. 
217 Czech Republic  3.97  2004 est. 
218 Malta  3.94  2004 est. 
219 Norway  3.73  2004 est. 
220 Finland  3.59  2004 est. 
221 Iceland  3.31  2004 est. 
222 Japan  3.28  2004 est. 
223 Hong Kong  2.97  2004 est. 
224 Sweden  2.77  2004 est. 
225 Singapore  2.28  2004 est.

******
Here is Canada

http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rma/dpr/02-03/HLTH-SANT/HLTH-SANT03D07_e.asp#chart4
Health Canada-Performance Report-For the period ending March 31, 2003 -
Part 8 of 9
 
Scroll down to infant mortality among G7 countries
US at bottom




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