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The United States spends much more on health care than other
industrialized countries, yet does not seem to get any more
benefits from the increased spending, according to research.
According to experts, it needs to be determined whether Americans’
increased spending on health care translates into more resources
for patients or simply higher income for health care providers.
However, according to the report Americans seem to be getting
fewer real resources than people in other industrialized countries.
Researchers analyzed health care spending among 30 nations
that were members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) in 2000 and found that the United States
spent more than twice the amount for health care as other
nations.
The U.S. per capita health spending in 2000 was $4,631--13
percent of the gross domestic product (GDP)--while the median
spending for the OECD members was $1,983 per capita, which
is eight percent of GDP.
Further, in 2000 Americans’ private per capita health
spending of $2,580, which includes health insurance premiums
and out-of-pocket costs, was more than five times that of
the OECD members’ median of $451.
Researchers suggested a number of factors that could contribute
to the increased health care spending in the United States
including higher salaries for health care workers, more expensive
medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, and more "service-intensive"
hospital visits.
Additionally, researchers noted that the U.S. health system
may be less efficient than those of other countries, leading
to higher costs such as those needed to compensate for extra
administrative personnel.
Health
Affairs 2003;22:89-105 (PDF File)
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