Americans Living Longer Than Two Decades Ago, But Overall State Of Health Care Is 'Mediocre,' Despite Spending Increase: Report

The most comprehensive analysis of overall 'disease burden' in the United States finds Americans are living longer than ever, but many do not enjoy good health in those additional years. The U.S. spends about twice as much on healthcare as its nearest economic peers, including European countries, Australia and New Zealand.

The United States is falling behind its economic peers in most measures of health, despite making gains in the past two decades, according to a sweeping study of data from 34 countries.

Although Americans are living longer, with overall U.S. life expectancy increasing to 78.2 in 2010 from 75.2 in 1990, increases in psychiatric disorders, substance abuse and conditions that cause back, muscle and joint pain mean many do not feel well enough to enjoy those added years of life.

"Despite a level of health expenditures that would have seemed unthinkable a generation ago, the health of the U.S. population has improved only gradually and has fallen behind the pace of progress in many other wealthy nations," Dr. Harvey Fineberg of the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C., wrote in an editorial published on Wednesday with the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.