PBS News Hour: Health Costs — How the US Compares With Other Countries

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How much is good healthcare worth to you? $8,233 per year? That’s how much the US spends per person. Worth it? That figure is more than two and a half times more than most developed nations in the world, including relatively rich European countries like France, Sweden and the United Kingdom. On a more global scale, it means US healthcare costs now eat up 17.6 percent of GDP. A sizable slice of Americans — including some top-ranking politicians — say the cost may be unfortunate but the US has “the best healthcare in the world.” But let’s consider what 17 cents of every US dollar is purchasing. According to the most recent report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an international economic group comprised of 34 member nations, it’s not as much as many Americans expect. To continue reading click here.

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