Learn. Speak. Act
International recording artist and poet, Michael "MIKE-E" Ellison


Access to Care 101
Learn more about the access to health care issue, why it matters, and what the Society is doing about the problem.


Access to Care 201
This video illustrates the importance of providing access to health care for the uninsured and undersinsured and what the American Cancer Society is doing to help. It addresses some of the questions that have arisen since the organization's campaign began in September 2007.

Global Health Care

According to an analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United States spends an annual $6,401 per person on health care – more than twice the OECD average of $2,759.

However, Americans have a life expectancy of 77.8 years, almost one year below the OECD average of 78.6 years. In comparison, people in Japan, Switzerland, Iceland, Australia, and Spain register higher life expectancies.

Other facts:

  • Infant mortality rates have been falling in the United States, but are still higher, at 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, than the OECD average of 5.4 deaths per 1,000. Among OECD countries, infant mortality is lowest in the Nordic countries (Iceland, Sweden, Finland, and Norway), in Luxembourg, and in Japan. All have rates all below 3.2 deaths per 1,000 live births.
  • In the United States, the obesity rate among adults (32.2 percent) is the highest in OECD countries, followed by Mexico (30.2 percent) and the United Kingdom (23.0 percent).
  • Americans have fewer practicing physicians, or 2.4 per 1,000 people, than the OECD average of 3 per 1,000 people.

[Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), OECD Health Data 2007]

A study by the Commonwealth Fund found that among 19 industrialized countries, the United States ranked 15th on "mortality from conditions amenable to health care," or deaths before age 75 that are potentially preventable with timely, effective care.

According to the Commonwealth Fund study, the United States also ranks at the bottom for healthy life expectancy and last on infant mortality.

Barely half of adults in the United States receive all recommended clinical screening tests and preventive care, according to national guidelines.

One-third of adults under age 65 are uninsured or underinsured. A similar proportion has problems paying medical bills or is in medical debt.

[Source: The Commonwealth Fund, US Health System Performance: A National Scorecard, September 2006]

When compared to other countries, more than half (51 percent) of primary care physicians in the United States reported that patients often have difficulty paying for medications compared with between seven percent and 27 percent in other countries.
[Source: The Commonwealth Fund, On the Front Lines of Care: Primary Care Doctors’ Office Systems, Experiences and Views in Seven Countries, November 2006]