Health care spending and life expectancy

According to the Economist the total US spend on healthcare is 15.4% of GDP including both state and private . With that it gets 2.6 doctors per 1,000 people, 3.3 hospital beds and its people live to an average age of 78.2

UK - spends 8.1% of GDP, gets 2.3 doctors, 4.2 hospital beds and live to an average age of 79.4. So for roughly half the cost their citizens overall get about the same benefit in terms of longevity of life.

Canada - spends 9.8% of GDP on healthcare, gets 2.1 doctors, 3.6 hospital beds and live until they are 80.6 yrs

Now if we look at the more social model in Europe the results become even more surprising:

France - spends 10.5%, 3.4 docs, 7.5 beds and live until they are 80.6

Spain - spends 8.1% , 3.3 docs , 3.8 beds and live until they are 81

As a whole Europe spends 9.6% of GDP on healthcare, has 3.9 doctors per 1,000 people, 6.6 hospital beds and live until they are 81.15 years old.

What is the bottom line?. Unfortunately, the only answer is that Americans are not living an healthy life as do the people in the rest of the world. We have the best healthcare system in the world, the best doctors, the best surgeons, the best hospitals, the best response system but in order to live longer we have to have more discipline in how we treat our body.

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I will be happy to speak to your investment group on how the business cycle impacts investment strategies and the choice of asset classes.

George Dagnino, PhD
Editor, since 1977