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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. In
2018, the U.S. spent $10,637 on health per person – nearly twice as much as
other comparably large and wealthy countries. The analysis finds that the
U.S. spent $3,906 more per person on inpatient and outpatient care than the
comparable country average – an amount that accounts for over three-quarters
(76%) difference in total health spending between the U.S. and the comparable
country average. While
American policymakers have often focused on the relatively high cost of
prescription drugs in the U.S. compared to other countries when discussing
policy approaches to lowering health care costs, the analysis finds that
reducing drug spending alone would do little to close the gap in per person
health spending between the U.S. and its peer nations. Although
not the main driver of the difference in health spending, the analysis also
notes that the U.S. spends more on several other types of health services and
programs, including preventive care. Another chart collection explores trends in spending on
public health and prevention in the U.S., finding that while the U.S. spends
more than most comparable countries on preventive care, the share of total
U.S. health spending committed to preventive care has declined in recent
years, and the U.S. still has a higher rate of preventable death than the
comparable country average. The
analysis and the chart collection are both available on the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online
information hub dedicated to monitoring and assessing the performance of the
U.S. health system. KFF’s Drew Altman also discusses the findings in his latest column for Axios. Filling
the need for trusted information on national health issues, KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation)
is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. |
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Tuesday, October 6, 2020
The Cost of Inpatient and Outpatient Care Drives High Health Spending in the U.S.
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