According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which tracks health care spending per capita for 30 countries around the world, the United States spends 141% more than the average nation, and 51% more than the second-biggest spending country in the survey. A common complaint heard about our health care system is that, while we spend far more than any other country, many measures of the U.S. health care system suggest that we aren’t getting our money’s worth.
While the debate continues to rage in Washington over the best / most efficient / most affordable system, the survey suggests that the type of system seen across the OECD doesn’t have much impact on the outcome. State-run systems appear to do as well as private systems in the survey. However, the critical elements that do appear to have an impact include:
• Consumers need to have financial “skin in the game”
• Coordination of care between providers does make a difference
• Providers need incentives to improve outcomes
• Transparency of pricing and service quality is important
Whether you are a proponent of ObamaCare, the Ryan plan or a differentiated solution, these four elements appear to have the highest correlation to controlling costs and improving outcomes. Let’s stop debating “single payor vs. the market” and move on to the elements of the health care system that actually matter.
