The report evaluates how countries around the world perform on access to care, coordination of care, and quality of care for older adults with health coverage.
For the 2024 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Older Adults, the research team surveyed older adults, age 65 and older, in 10 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The survey responses shed light on where health systems worldwide are missing the mark when it comes to caring for older adults. The researchers noted that while some countries may also use the term “Medicare” as the name of their health coverage for citizens, for their analysis, Commonwealth Fund used the term “Medicare” to refer to the U.S. program only.
“Health care systems around the world are struggling—and at times failing—to meet the unique needs of older people age 65 and older,” wrote the researchers. “As people age, they are more likely to develop complex health problems and need ongoing care for chronic conditions, which is often more costly than other basic and preventive services. It’s critical to monitor challenges that older adults may face accessing health services, as well as the quality of these services, to keep this population healthy.”
Key findings include:
- Nearly all (97 percent) U.S. Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older have a regular doctor, but only half (50 percent) said they can easily get medical care off-hours without going to the hospital or emergency room.
- While 70 percent of U.S. Medicaid beneficiaries “always” or “often” got a response from their regular doctor’s office about a medical concern within the same day, only about two in five said they were able to book an appointment within two days of when they were sick.
- Less than one in five older adults in all countries reported coordination problems between their regular doctor and specialist.
- U.S. Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older were most likely to report their hospital supported them after discharge.
- Most older adults across countries are satisfied with the quality of their care, with the U.S. leading with 86 percent of Medicare beneficiaries reporting satisfaction and Canada and Sweden tied with the lowest rates of 73 percent.
- However, roughly one in five older adults across countries reported being treated unfairly or felt their health concerns were not taken seriously.