The Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker provides clear, up-to-date information on trends, drivers and issues that impact the performance of the system. It also illustrates how the U.S. is performing relative to other countries and how different parts of the system are performing relative to one another. A partnership of the Peterson Center on Healthcare and the KFF, the Tracker’s work goal places a heavy emphasis on data and evidence, addressing key questions through collections of charts, which provide data with additional context and synthesis of the latest research and developments. The Tracker also provide regular insight briefs for a more in-depth look at topical questions.
Featured Peterson-KFF Resources
COVID-19 preventable mortality and leading cause of death ranking
This updated analysis finds that in November 2021, COVID-19 ranked as the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S., up from 7th in July, due to the more infectious delta variant, insufficient vaccination, and reduced social distancing. At least 163,000 deaths from COVID-19 between June and November could have been prevented with vaccines.
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Related Peterson-KFF Resources
- Unvaccinated COVID patients cost the U.S. health system billions of dollars
- Characteristics of Vaccinated Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections
- Most private insurers are no longer waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment
- Few Adults Are Aware of Hospital Price Transparency Requirements
- Surprise Bills Vary by Diagnosis and Type of Admission
- What Drives Health Spending in the U.S. Compared to Other Countries
- How does the quality of the U.S. health care system compare to other countries?
- Health System Dashboard
National Health Spending Explorer
The Health Spending Explorer on the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker helps users examine five decades worth of numbers documenting expenditures by federal and local governments, private insurers, and individuals on 15 categories of health services, including hospitals, physician and clinic care, and prescription drugs.
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Analysis: COVID-19 Ranks as a Top 3 Leading Cause of Death in the U.S., Higher than in Almost All Other Peer Countries
A new KFF analysis examines leading causes of death and mortality rates in the United States and comparable countries. The U.S. has a higher COVID-19 mortality rate than many of its peer countries, with COVID-19 ranking as the nation’s third-leading cause of death in 2020, behind only heart disease and…
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The Pandemic’s Effect on the Widening Gap in Mortality Rate between the U.S. and Peer Countries
A new KFF brief looks at where COVID-19 falls as a leading cause of death in the U.S. compared to similarly large and wealthy countries. The analysis finds that COVID-19 mortality rates are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., a ranking shared by only one peer country,…
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Webinar: How Might the Pandemic Affect Health Premiums, Utilization, and Outcomes in 2021 and Beyond?
As the coronavirus pandemic enters its eighth month, we are still facing uncertainty about what the long-term impact of the crisis will be for the health sector, and for patients. However, the extent to which costs grow, and how the burden is distributed across payers, programs, individuals, outcomes, and geography…
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The Cost of Inpatient and Outpatient Care Drives High Health Spending in the U.S. Relative to Other Countries, New Analysis Finds
A new KFF issue brief compares the main drivers of health spending in the United States and other large, wealthy countries, and finds that the cost of inpatient and outpatient care – much more so than prescription drugs or administrative costs – drives high per capita health spending in the U.S.…
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What Do We Know About Spending Related to Public Health in the U.S. and Comparable Countries?
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What Drives Health Spending in the U.S. Compared to Other Countries
A new issue brief looks at the drivers of health spending in the U.S., and key differences between the U.S. and other large, wealthy nations. The analysis finds that the cost of inpatient and outpatient care (which encompasses primary care, services at clinics and hospitals, surgery care, and more) is…
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Analysis: Many Private Insurers Offer Financial Relief for COVID-19 Treatment, but Cost-Sharing Waivers Are Expiring
A new analysis finds that most people with individual or fully-insured group market coverage are in plans that waived cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment, though many of those waivers are set to expire in the coming months. About 88% – nearly nine in ten – enrollees in the individual and fully-insured…
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How Private Insurers Are Using Telehealth to Respond to the Pandemic
Private insurance plans have taken a variety of steps to expand telemedicine uptake and access during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new issue brief on the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker examines four actions private insurers have taken to promote telehealth usage among plan enrollees.
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