Despite a decreased life expectancy in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are still spending more than those in comparable countries on health-related systems, as out-of-pocket costs grew rapidly last year, according to a study of U.S. health systems.

Peterson-KFF—a partnership between the Peterson Center on Healthcare and the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)—assessed the current state of the U.S. health system using dozens of data points on costs, outcomes, and quality of and access to care using the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker and the accompanying Health System Dashboard. According to the report, life expectancy has dropped across all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. However, people of color experienced a greater decline in life expectancy.

Since 2019, life expectancy for Black and Hispanic people has declined by at least four years, while life expectancy for white people has declined by 2.4 years. The report also found that overall health spending in the U.S. continued to grow in 2021, reaching nearly $4.3 trillion, amounting to 18.3 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) and an average of $12,914 per capita.

“The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound effect on Americans’ health, and its impact on the healthcare system will likely last beyond the acute stage of the pandemic,” the report stated. “The pandemic has shortened life expectancy in the U.S. and exacerbated health disparities and health access barriers.”

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