Health spending in the U.S. and Europe

These data are drawn from  "The unfinished business of health reform", 
a report by By Josh Biven of The Economic Policy Institute.
To read the Report please go to  

https://www.epi.org/publication/health-care-report/

 

U.S. health spending is an outlier among advanced countries—and is rising faster than spending in those countriesHealth spending as a share of GDP, by country, 2017, and annual growth in health spending, by country, earliest data year through 2007 and 2017

  Annual percentage-point changeAnnual percent change
 Health spending as % of GDP, 2017Earliest year–2007Earliest year–2017Earliest year–2007Earliest year–2017
United States17.2%0.230.232.4%2.2%
Switzerland12.3%0.140.162.0%2.0%
Japan10.7%0.100.141.6%1.9%
Norway10.4%0.110.141.9%2.1%
France11.5%0.140.131.9%1.7%
Belgium10.0%0.140.132.3%2.1%
United Kingdom9.7%0.090.121.7%1.9%
Spain8.8%0.130.122.5%2.2%
Germany11.3%0.120.121.5%1.5%
Austria10.3%0.130.121.8%1.6%
Sweden10.9%0.070.121.0%1.5%
Korea7.6%0.080.112.0%2.3%
Netherlands10.1%0.100.101.4%1.3%
Australia9.1%0.100.101.6%1.5%
Finland9.2%0.080.091.2%1.3%
Canada10.4%0.080.091.0%1.1%
New Zealand9.0%0.090.081.3%1.2%
Iceland8.5%0.110.081.7%1.3%
Italy8.9%0.080.081.1%1.0%
Israel7.3%0.080.071.4%1.2%
Denmark10.2%0.050.060.5%0.6%
Ireland7.1%0.080.051.3%0.8%
Non-U.S. average9.7%0.100.101.6%1.5%
Non-U.S. maximum7.1%0.050.050.5%0.6%
Non-U.S. minimum12.3%0.140.162.5%2.3%
 

Notes: Data are available beginning in different years for different countries. First year of data availability ranges from 1970 (for Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States) to 1971 (Australia, Denmark), 1972 (Netherlands), 1975 (Israel), and 1988 (Italy).

Source: Author’s analysis of data from OECD 2018a

  

Examining data on utilization and prices separately shows clearly that it is high prices that drive the U.S. position as an outlier in health care spending. Figure K shows the utilization of physicians and hospitals in the United States compared with the median, maximum, and minimum utilization of physicians and hospitals among its OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) peers. The United States is well below typical utilization of physicians and hospitals among OECD countries.

 
Josh Bivens
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