A generation ago Americans spent about as much on health care as they did on all levels of education. Now health care represents about twice as much of the national economy as education does. And since people are getting older faster than they used to, and medical science is coming up with expensive remedies more frequently, it is hard to see why the trend will change. Which brings us to you. Every part of the nation you lead is asking for guidance.
Patients feel they are being bled dry financially in order to survive physically.
Auto-company executives point out that they pay more for health insurance for their workers than for the steel that goes into cars. Big-thinking economists point out that America devotes twice as much of its economy to medical care as European nations or Japan, while its average life expectancy is the lowest of this group. Some of this problem involves dilemmas you cannot solve. But you can make some large choices of policy. The big policy choices are outlined below.