We all know health care in the U.S. is too expensive. But is it really that bad? Yes.
This graphic by National Geographic is the best we’ve seen at summarizing the three facets of the problem: Cost, results, and access.
If you haven’t seen this sort of graph before, some explanation is in order. On the left are several countries, arranged on an axis showing annual per capita spending on health care. To the right is average life expectancy.
Thus, the lines between the two axes show a country’s cost of health care, and the health of its citizens. Ideally, you’d like to be sloping up; sloping down, and you’re not getting much for your money.
The U.S.? We don’t even fit on the chart.
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Meanwhile, the graphic also gets at the problem of health-care access. The thickness of each line shows how often residents see a doctor. Japan and Czech Republic, for example, seem to make it easy. The U.S., not so much.
[Via National Geographic]