THIS IS AN OPINION
We'd also like to hear yours.
Tweet us @ArkBusiness or email us
The United States spends more on health care than other wealthy countries and has poorer health outcomes, and yet, as Senior Editor Mark Friedman’s article in this week’s issue highlights, health insurance costs continue to soar.
In 2022, the United States spent an estimated $12,742 per person on health care, according to an August report by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. The average for other wealthy countries, excluding the United States, was only $6,850 per person. The report found that the U.S. spent an average of $1,001 per capita on administrative costs for health care compared with an average of $213 among other wealthy countries.
On measures of health outcomes such as life expectancy, the U.S. ranked last among the 13 wealthy nations.
Meanwhile, health insurance premiums continue to rise. The average premium for employer-provided single coverage in 2024 is $8,951 per year, and the average premium for family coverage is $25,572 per year, according to KFF.
President-elect Donald Trump once promised better, cheaper health care, though a plan failed to materialize during his first term. Now he has a second chance to address an issue that affects every American family at the most basic level: their health.
Sign up for Daily E-news
