Even though toward healthcare, the US outspends all other countries it still remains a question whether the country is able to give a high quality healthcare when compared with most other countries that spend very less on healthcare. The cost of healthcare is very high in America as against many countries. For instance, the Americans are paying 60 percent more to meet hospital expenses when compared with the average prevailing rates for the same services in most other countries (Appleby, 2011). Therefore, the major concern is that healthcare costs considerably affect average American families. Even as individual family income continues to rise, the fact that families have to spend a lot on healthcare makes them compromise on several other choices. Sadly, America has a small number of doctors per patients and fewer beds in hospitals; most patients do not stay for longer periods in hospitals (Appleby, 2011). Therefore, the phenomenally increased spending on healthcare is not contributing considerable value for the spending.
The reality that America is spending nearly 7 percent of the healthcare price toward meeting administrative expenses, which is the total spending on healthcare in developed countries like France and Germany, does not justify its huge expenses on healthcare. The enormous healthcare spending in America leads to increased GDP since a major portion of the increased income of families is spent on healthcare. At the same time, the increased GDP provides nothing in return to the Americans apart from giving them opportunities to avail the benefits of expensive healthcare technology. US stands 27th and 31st in life expectancy and infant mortality rate respectively in spite of its huge spending on healthcare; also, America ranks second in adult diabetes rate (Appleby, 2011). Therefore, America’s increased spending on healthcare does not significantly contribute to the well-being of its citizens, and is a matter of grave concern.
Reference
Appleby, J. (2011). Report: U.S. Outspends Other Countries On Health Care. Kaiser Health News. Retrieved from http://khn.org/news/report-u-s-outspends-other-countries-on-health-care/
