Healthcare US Cost-to-Value Ratio Punishes Business

Each year, the CEOs of major US companies gather for the Business Roundtable, where they discuss serious issues affecting business. So what are they talking about during the worst economic crisis in generations? Health care! And their consensus is that our "dismal state of health care" affects our global competitiveness and the national economy. Their conclusion is based on the cost-to-value ratio that compares the dollar amount spent on health care in the US with the value received for that care. When comparing the dollar amount spent to the health of the citizenry, the roundtable findings show:

• $2.4 trillion a year is spent on health care in the US
• On a per-capita basis, that’s $1,928 per person for 2006
• $1,928 per capita is 250% more than any other nation spends
• On a cost-to-value basis, the US is 23 points behind its five top economic competitors (Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom)
• The governments of these five nations play a bigger role in their healthcare systems than the US does, although each nation operates on a different healthcare system
• The US is 46 points behind its closest emerging competitors (Brazil, China, and India).

I may sound like a broken record, but our health care problems are not just about cost. We are definitely not getting value received!