Number: RL34175
Title: The U.S. Health Care Spending: Comparison with Other OECD Countries
Authors: Chris L. Peterson and Rachel Burton, Domestic Social Policy Division 
Abstract: The United States spends more money on health care than any other country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD consists of 30 democracies, most of which are considered the most economically advanced countries in the world. According to OECD data, the United States spent $6,102 per capita on health care in 2004 - more than double the OECD average and 19.9% more than Luxembourg, the second-highest spending country. In 2004, 15.3% of the U.S. economy was devoted to health care, compared with 8.9% in the average OECD country and 11.6% in second-placed Switzerland.
Pages: 60
Date: September 17, 2007