title: Cross-national comparisons of health systems using OECD data, 1999.
abstract: This paper presents selected components of the most recent (1999) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Health Data. Previous trends in spending for health care, supply and use of health care resources, and health status are updated for the thirty industrialized countries in the OECD. In 1999 the United States spent 53 percent more on health care than any other OECD country spent. The paper reviews two possible reasons for the difference: economic development and population aging. It discusses spending, supply, and utilization for specific categories of health care services: pharmaceuticals, physicians, hospitals, and high-technology services. The paper concludes with a consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of using OECD data to compare health systems.
authors.affiliation: Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, USA.
authors.forename: Uwe E
authors.initials: UE
authors.lastname: Reinhardt
authors.forename: Peter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Hussey
authors.forename: Gerard F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000368:Aged; D020811:Biomedical Technology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003625:Data Collection; D019049:Developed Countries / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007390:International Agencies; D011157:Population Dynamics