title: Health spending in OECD countries in 2004: an update.
abstract: In 2004, U.S. health care spending per capita was 2.5 times greater than health spending in the median Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country and much higher than health spending in any other OECD country. The United States had fewer physicians, nurses, hospital beds, doctor visits, and hospital days per capita than the median OECD country. Health care prices and higher per capita incomes continued to be the major reasons for the higher U.S. health spending. One possible explanation is higher prevalence of obesity-related chronic disease in the United States relative to other OECD countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. ganderso@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Gerard F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Bianca K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Frogner
authors.forename: Uwe E
authors.initials: UE
authors.lastname: Reinhardt
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D019049:Developed Countries / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009026:Mortality; D012309:Risk-Taking; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology