The United States spends more on health care than 12 other industrialized countries, a new Commonwealth Fund study finds – but that doesn’t mean this country’s care is any better.
The U.S. spent nearly $8,000 per person for health care services in 2009, the study found, confirming that “health care spending in the U.S. dwarfs that found in any other industrialized country.”
David Squires, senior research associate at The Commonwealth Fund and the primary author of the study, found Norway and Switzerland were a distant second and third, respectively, on medical spending, at a little more than $5,000 per person.
The study is an update of past analyses by The Commonwealth Fund that compare U.S. health spending with trends in other countries.
The Commonwealth Fund concluded that this country’s high price tag for health care isn’t because of more doctor visits — the U.S., with an average of about four visits per person in 2009, ranked at the bottom for the number of doctor consultations. And it isn’t because of lengthy hospital treatments — the study found the U.S. had shorter hospital stays, as well as a smaller number of hospital beds and discharges.
SOURCE: U.S. health care spending ‘dwarfs’ that of other countries – Kathryn Smith – POLITICO.com.