The newest numbers on U.S. national health expenditures are out in Health Affairs. In 2008, the estimated tab came to a little more than $2.3 Trillion. I really have very little concept of just how much money that actually is. I mean, how many McDonald’s Happy Meals could you buy with that? The answer is a whopping 780 Billion. That’s a lot of hamburgers, fries, and little plastic toys. In fact, it’s enough to provide one happy meal a day to every person on the planet for about 4 months. It’s almost enough to buy 1 of every 10 Americans a new Porsche 911 every year. The apples to oranges comparisons could go on forever. The bottom line is, while spending growth seems to have slowed, we still spend an insane amount on health care.
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Brad Wright, PhD
Shirie Leng, MD
Nicole Fisher