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USA Today

Seven reasons why Americans pay more for health care than any other nation

USA Today
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86% Informative

Americans spend far more on health care than anywhere else in the world.

But we have the lowest life expectancy among large, wealthy countries.

A lot of that can be explained by the unique aspects of our health care system.

We reward doctors more for medical procedures than for keeping people healthy.

Of 50 such models launched by CMS over the last decade , only six delivered health savings and two improvements in quality.

Specialists get much higher payments from Medicare and private insurers than primary care doctors.

Medicare payment rates determine how much taxpayers shell out for older Americans ' health care.

Up to 25% of medical spending is due to administrative costs.

Wall Street investors who control private equity firms have taken over hospitals and doctors practices.

The role of these private equity investors has drawn increased scrutiny from government regulators.