This updated chart collection compares indicators of health care utilization and prices in the United States and 11 similarly wealthy countries to investigate whether higher prices or higher utilization of healthcare services drives the high healthcare expenditures in the U.S. relative to peer nations.
The U.S. spends nearly twice as much on health care per person as peer nations ($13,432 vs. $7,393 per person), meanwhile health care utilization in the U.S. — from doctor visits to surgeries — is generally lower than in other wealthy countries. The evidence continues to support the finding that higher prices – as opposed to higher utilization – explain the United States’ high health spending relative to other high-income countries.
The analysis is part of the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker, an online information hub dedicated to monitoring and assessing the performance of the U.S. health system.
