Health Care Costs Consume Nearly 18% of US Economy

Big money interests rule in all nations. It's just that in the U.S. the health industries are a big money interest with no other big money interests to oppose them. In the other nations of the world (most of the developed nations, anyway) the big money interests don't have a health industry segment and the other big money interests benefit from not having to divert large portions of their gross income to employee health expenses.

But we are trapped by how big the health industry has become so they will squeeze the life out of our economy before long. You can count on the decline of the relative health of the American people in comparison with the rest of the developed world. (We're suckers.)

Yes, the healthcare industry is huge and immensely powerful, like the military-industrial complex. And it uses its power and wealth to lobby for a system that benefits them. Healthcare costs are a huge burden to Americans and American businesses alike.

But Americans need to take some responsibility; we are an old, fat and sick nation that suffers largely from preventable diseases.

But we suffer from those because of the weakness of many people and our industry makes money from their weakness. That is the problem. If our food industries were trying to provide the best nutrition they could and got paid for nutrition rather than for how much junk food they could get us to buy at high prices the problem would be minor at worst. We reward industries that make us sick. (See tobacco and alcohol.)

Yes, you're getting at the root of the problem, Larry. All of these things are inter-related.

Factory farms are subsidized and they produce low-quality, processed foods that make people fat and sick. There is little variety in our food system; just four crops - corn, soybeans, wheat and hay - accounted for 82% of all harvested acreage in 2006. Cattle (2) and pigs (6) are both top-ten agricultural products. Both are laden with saturated fats.

So after people get sick eating all of these low-quality, low-nutrition, high-calorie, high-fat foods, our healthcare system is charged with dealing with the consequences and outcomes.

The USDA promotes cheese for the dairy industry, and Health & Humans Services tries to get people to eat less of it because it contains so much fat and cholesterol. How insane are those dual mandates?

But these activities make large profits for Agribusiness. (Have a Coke?) Therefore, we will continue to poison ourselves and destroy the lives of our children. Big money requires that of us.

Amen Larry! Profits rule everything!

In his SOTU speech, Obama gave little mention to health care costs, other than to say that he & the GOP may find some areas for amendment such as tort reform. This is a red herring long proposed by the GOP & eagerly jumped on by Obama because malpractice insurance amounts to less than one percent of health care costs. The health insurance industry controls both sides of the aisle in DC.

Most Republicans contend that tort reform is necessary to curb the soaring costs of healthcare, which now consume nearly 18% of the nation’s gross domestic product.

Yet, the 15 leading insurance companies had a 5.7% increase in malpractice payouts from 2000 to 2004, while increasing premiums by 120% during that same period.

I would still like to mention that our health care is the best in the world. Everyone comes here, if they have the money, because we have the best facilities, doctors and research.

The Prime Minister of Canada came to MD Anderson for cancer treatment. His comment was "because I have the right to the best and the best is here".

What you are really complaining about is the immediate care. You and I pay more for not waiting days, weeks or months for a test. We pay more for a doctor to have an EKG in his office or a blood drawing unit within his office. We pay extra for this.

We also pay for the massive amounts of amazing drugs that have extended our lives substantially as well as giving us a better quality of life. We pay for that. It is expensive. The alternative is less of those things if you want "cheap".

This is fine of course until you are the one needing to visit the proton cancer treatment facility (that was just built) which can remove tumors without cutting you to pieces. Really cool if you have a tumor that is inoperable by conventional methods. Lets not forget the cholestoral reducing drugs, cholitis drugs, genetic manipulating drugs and the almighty viagra. You may laugh when reading this, but if you are the one that cant screw anymore... you wouldnt laugh.

It is expensive. I LOVE that it is expensive. I will continue to love it because without Lipitor, I would be dead at 52. My brother (heart attack - lived), father (double vertibral artery stroke lived), uncle (triple bypass lived) and grandfather (massive coronary Died) -- all are alive because of amazing medicine except my grandfather because there was no amazing medicine back then. Lets not return to that time where medicine was average at best.

My father lived ONLY because he went to Methodist Hospital who was the only one cleared to do an experimental procedure. My father died on the way to the hospital. He died once more on the table. Because of this "experimental" procedure, he has ZERO side affects. NONE. He is healthy as a horse and still kicking at 72.

This knowledge is expensive. I am GLAD to pay for it.
~M

Your claim is factually inaccurate. We have the most expensive, least efficient healthcare system in the world. It seems you didn't click through through and read the whole article. The facts are overwhelming. The US handles crisis care very well — and that's all.

The National Institute of Health, using US taxpayer money, funds most of the R&D for the pharmaceutical companies. Those companies then turn round and charge the same US taxpayers the highest drug prices in the world.

Americans are ripped off and do not get what we pay for. The facts clearly, and abundantly, substantiate this.

Sean,

You are right, sadly.

Thanks for sharing this

A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that three-quarters of the 50 million uninsured in US are employed.