Healthcare cost is huge because Americans spend so much on drugs, hospitals, and other medical goods and services.
This chart of per capita health expenditures shows Americans spend far more than our peers in other developed countries.
Health expenditures per person in the U.S. were $12,555 in 2022, which was over $4,000 more than any other high-income nation. The average amount spent on health per person in comparable countries ($6,651) is about half of what the U.S. spends per person.
What do we get for the extra 50% or even more we spend on our health? Not much. By many different measures, Americans are less healthy and die sooner than people in these other countries, despite their much lower healthcare spending.
Where do these costs fall? Patients, families, company benefit plans, and assorted government programs… (paid for by your tax dollars…)
America is missing out on preventive maintenance of our bodies and many natural treatments and common-sense measures.
IMHO, eating over processed food is a large part of our less than optimal health.
The USDA food chart having grains at the bottom might be correct but what you find in the category at the grocery store is processed far past receiving the benefits of “grains”. Look at the ingredients of prepackaged items…
Thank you to Mauldin Economics for the heads up and to Health System Tracker for the chart in data.