In new rankings looking at preventable deaths due to treatable conditions in 19 industrialized nations, France, Japan and Australia were rated the best and the United States was rated the worst.
Preventable deaths accounted for 23 percent of overall deaths in men and 32 percent of deaths in women. If the U.S. health care system performed as well as the top three, there would be 101,000 fewer deaths in the U.S. each year.
The large number of Americans who lack any type of health insurance -- about 47 million, according to U.S. government estimates -- was likely a key factor in the U.S.’s poor ranking.