Study compares U.S., U.K. healthcare

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LONDON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Britain's health service makes it the only country in the industrialized world where wealth does not determine access to healthcare, a U.S. study found.

The survey by the U.S. health think tank Commonwealth Fund showed that while a third of American adults "went without recommended care, did not see a doctor when sick, or failed to fill prescriptions because of costs," that figure was only 6 percent in the United Kingdom, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported Friday.

Wealth was a significant factor in access to health in all the countries surveyed except Britain, the study said, with patients earning less than the national average more likely to struggle with medical bills and experience problems getting medical care because of financial concerns.

People in the United Kingdom paid less than half the average $7,538 paid by every American for healthcare, the survey found.

In the United States, patients "are far more likely than those in 10 other industrialized nations to go without healthcare because of costs," the study said.

The survey of 19,700 patients in 11 nations found "substantial differences" in access to care, access after hours and waiting times for specialized care, the Guardian reported.