Patients in the U.S. are likely to pay more for a number of healthcare services and prescription drugs than patients in nations with comparable economies, according to study from Kaiser Family Foundation.
For the study, researchers compared U.S. healthcare prices, services and prescription drug costs with those of other high-income countries.
Here are five study findings.
1. On average, the U.S. spent $10,348 per person on healthcare in 2016, which is about twice as much as the $5,198 average spent by other wealthy nations. That year, the U.S. spent 18 percent of its gross domestic product on healthcare compared to 12 percent in Switzerland, according to the study.
2. At the same time, the study found the U.S. has fewer physician consultations per person compared to other high-income countries. The U.S. had 3.9 consultations per person in 2015, while nations with comparable economies saw an average of 7.6 total consultations per person that year. Only Sweden had fewer consultations per person than the U.S. that year (2.9).
3. Patients in the U.S. also spend less time in the hospital than patients in other nations included in the study. The inpatient care average length of stay at U.S. hospitals in 2014 was 6.1 days. That's below the average of 10.2 days in other wealthy nations.
4. The average hospital cost per day in 2014 was higher in the U.S. ($5,220) than in Switzerland ($4,781) or Australia ($765).
5. Additionally, the study found U.S. patients are on average likely to pay more for healthcare services such as an angioplasty, caesarean section or MRI than patients in other high-income countries. U.S. patients are also likely to pay more for drugs such as Humira and Harvoni than patients in Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
Read more about the study here.
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