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Health care expenditures in nine industrialized countries, 1960-76.
Social Security Bulletin
|January 1, 1980
Summary
Healthcare spending increased in the U.S. and eight other nations from 1960-76. Despite rising costs, the U.S. experienced a lower growth rate in health expenditures compared to other developed countries.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Comparative Health Systems
Background:
- Rising healthcare expenditures are a global concern.
- Healthcare spending growth has outpaced general inflation across developed economies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare healthcare costs in the United States with eight other industrialized nations.
- To analyze trends in healthcare spending from 1960 to 1976.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of national health expenditure data.
- Examination of healthcare spending as a share of Gross National Product (GNP).
Main Results:
- All studied countries, including the U.S., faced increasing healthcare costs.
- The U.S. exhibited a lower growth rate in healthcare expenditures than other nations.
- Canada exceeded U.S. healthcare spending as a GNP share in the 1960s; West Germany, Netherlands, and Sweden did so in later years.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare spending is a significant and growing economic challenge globally.
- The U.S. healthcare cost growth, while substantial, was not the highest among comparable nations during the study period.