Americans spend more on health care but die earlier

By Tami Luhby, CNN

Updated 12:05 AM ET, Thu January 30, 2020

(CNN)Americans shell out far more on health care than other wealthy countries, but it's not helping them live longer lives.

In the US, health care spending accounted for 16.9% of the economy in 2018, nearly twice as much the average developed nation, according to a new study released Thursday by The Commonwealth Fund.

Americans spend more than $10,000 per person on health care, more than double the amount shelled out by Australians, Canadians and residents of the United Kingdom.

Private health care spending, including premiums for employer-sponsored coverage, drives much of the outlay in the US -- with Americans shelling out more than five times more than Canadians, the second-highest spender.

But those dollars don't translate into better health outcomes in the US, the study found.

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