National Geographic's Healthcare Compared graphic - via Yahoo

[underpants]

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Most-Emailed-Photos-Graphic-comparing-average-per-capita-health-care-cost-and-life/ss/1756/im:/110201/photos_wl_afp/6c723be8145eff0ec14f43e5dea24aee/

[Enthusiast]

1. There you have it.

No room for improvement when the U.S. already has the world's greatest health care. :hide:

[av8rdave]

2. But hey...our life expectancy is better than Slovakia's...

So there!

:sarcasm:

[hedgehog]

4. Hey - We're better than Slovakis - we spend almost 7 times as much to get the same results!

USA! USA!

[av8rdave]

9. Nothing like doing less with more

The American way.

[underpants]

7. Suck it Slovakia!!!

[rucky]

3. Japan FTW

the most for the least

[Johonny]

6. part of it is probably life style

which of course can add to cost, and decrease life expectancy. Frankly to me the chart looks like this: If you spend some money on health care your life expectancy increases. However additional spending is no guarantee of increased life expectancy. The reason for that is probably a mixture of reasons: pollution level, diet, culture, corporate profit...

[unblock]

5. sure, our life expectancy may not be everything it should be, but

we have more liposuctions, collagen injections, and breast implants per capita than any other nation in the world!


ok, actually, that's not even true; south korea, brazil, and taiwan have more plastic procedures per capita:

http://www.asianplasticsurgeryguide.com/news10-2/081003_south-korea-highest.html



so what do we have more of than anyone to account for the extra spending?

oh, yeah. PRIVATE PROFIT!!!

[hunter]

8. At some point spending more kills you faster.

The USA is well past that point.

There's a myth that wealth and good insurance guarantee a U.S. citizen "the best health care in the world."

That's not true. The death of Michael Jackson is an extreme case, but many very wealthy and well insured people are getting very, very expensive medical care that will shorten their lives.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Ok I will never accuse Mexico of having the best

medical system in the world... I am familiar with it ok... but there is something striking for that graph. Life expectancy vs money spent per capita.

I wonder if Mexico DID improve the real systemic issues they have, it take three hundred more per person, where they could be. (Yes they do a LOT of preventive health care in the Social Security System)