So, why are U.S. health care costs so much higher than health care costs in Europe or in the rich countries in Asia?
Doctors are trying to refute allegations that they might be the culprits.
Doctors, hospitals and others tend to blame the health insurance companies, but America's Health Insurance Plans, Washington, points out that care is two or three times more expensive in the United States than in other rich countries, and that, for commercially insured people, health insurance administrative expenses account for less than 15% of the total. And some countries with much lower costs, such as the Netherlands and Switzerlands, also have large health insurance industries.
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Allison Bell
Allison Bell, a senior reporter at ThinkAdvisor and BenefitsPRO, previously was an associate editor at National Underwriter Life & Health. She has a bachelor's degree in economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She can be reached through X at @Think_Allison.
