British researchers say more than 100,000 Americans died of health problems that could have been prevented by timely and effective health care last year.
A new study by Ellen Nolte and Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine ranks the United States last among 19 developed nations in terms of health care.
France, Japan and Australia topped the list.
The researchers theorize that the 47 million Americans who are not covered by health insurance are slow to seek care and a key reason for the United States' poor showing in the study.
All of the nations on the list have been making improvements in health care, but the United States has been getting better more slowly than other developed countries.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.