U.S. Health Care By the Numbers 

 

—        $2 Trillion Dollars a Year Spent on Health Care (The size of the economy of China)

—        Taxpayers pay for 44% of this

—        16-20% of GDP

—        GM $5.2 Billion on Health Care ($1600 for every car) 

—        US Consumers more dissatisfied with their care than other nations

—        ~50 million uninsured

—        34% of Americans believe medicine can cure any illness as long as people have access to advanced technology and treatment

—        $6,100 per person spent on health care

—        Health premiums have risen 98% since 2000

—        Medical bills are leading cause of bankruptcy in US

—        1/5 of Americans have medical debt they are paying off

—        70% is spent on Chronic illness

—        Cardio and Stroke--$210 billion

—        Cancer--$192 billion

—        Diabetes--$92 billion

—        Obesity-Related--$75 billion

—        Arthritis--$22 billion

—        $1 out of every $6 goes to health care.  It is estimated to grow to $1 out of $5 by 2015.

—        Will grow to $12,320 per person in 2015, almost double the 2005 figure of $6,683.

—        May grow to $4 trillion in ten years.

—        Medicare hospital insurance will become insolvent by 2019.

—        5% of sickest Medicare beneficiaries account for 47% of Medicare expenditures

—        During the last six months of life, the average number of doctor visits is 41.5 in New Jersey; 17 in Utah.

—        For each illness studied, higher mortality rates were found in the regions with the most intense care.

—        According to the WHO, in terms of life expectancy, the United States lags far behind most other comparable nations.

—        US ranks 28th in infant mortality among 39 industrialized nations.

—        Compared with 30 other countries, the United States has the highest incidence of all cancers

—        The United States ranks 37th according to WHO’s assessment of health care systems throughout the world.

—        Americans receive on 55% of needed care (RAND)

—        The Institute of Medicine states medical errors account for at least 100,000 deaths per year.

—        Others such as Null et al have been more critical asserting that:

—        The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million.

—        The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million.

—        The total number of iatrogenic deaths is 783,936 annually

—        Leape of Harvard estimated that in the United States 180,000 people die each year as a result of iatrogenic injury. The equivalent of three jumbo-jet crashes every two days.

—        195,000 people die each year in hospitals due to preventable errors

—        Other Estimates range from 225,000 – 284,000 deaths

—        One million error related non fatal injuries yearly

—        Negligence or errors in diagnosis account for 30-40% of malpractice payments   

—        18 types of errors account for 32,600 deaths and $9.3 Billion in extra costs

—        Preventable drug related errors in OP’s cost $77 billion yearly

—        Doctors spend ½ - 1/3 of time on paperwork

—        Admin costs are 30% of all health care spending

—        According to Public Citizen, medical malpractice kills approximately 80,000 people per year.

—        Public Citizen stated that if this number is correct than medical malpractice is the 3rd leading cause of preventable death in the United States just behind cigarettes and alcohol.

—        Only about 15% of medical interventions are supported by scientific evidence…This is partly because only 1% of the articles in medical journals are scientifically sound