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THE ?MASSIVE REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH? AND 31 OTHER INTERESTING STATISTICS AFFECTING THE HEALTHCARE REFORM.

By Greg Piche'

 The United States has undergone a massive redistribution of wealth in the last 30  years. In 1980 the top 1 percent of taxpayers reported 8.5 % of the nations reported income to the Internal Revenue Service. In 2008, the top 1 percent of taxpayers reported receiving 20% of the nation?s income. This and the following 31 other statistics provide an interesting foundation to review the PPACA and its alternatives.

 In 1987, the healthcare costs as a percentage of median family income was 7.3% and in 2006 it was 16.8 %.

 The per capita cost of healthcare in the United States is twice as high as the closest industrial country, Switzerland, but with less average utilization.

 In 1960 healthcare costs represented 5.1% of the Gross Domestic Product of the United States. In 2006 they represented 17% of the Gross Domestic Product of the United States. In 2018 it is estimated to be 20%.

 Currently, in Germany, the national healthcare costs are 12% of the Country?s Gross Domestic Product; in Switzerland, 10.9%; in Canada, 9.7% and in France, 9.5%.

 Life Expectancy in the United States on average is 2 years less than in Europe.

 Healthcare costs in the United States are larger than the Gross Domestic Product of India.

 Healthcare expenditures  in the United States cost 4 times the cost of the national defense.

 The country with the fastest growing healthcare costs is Norway at 57% per annum.

 The annual premium for health care insurance in the United States is growing at delta 4 times that of wages.

 There are 46 million people in the United States without health insurance, including 9.4 million children. 

 The estimated number of illegals without insurance in the United States is 12.4 million.

 Each year more than 1 million people loose their insurance coverage.

 Prescription drug costs in the United States have grown at double digit rates  since the 1980s. The main driver of growth between 1987 and 2000 was industry price increases.  The main driver of growth between 2000 and 2010 has been higher drug utilization per capita.

 75% of the health care costs in the United States are related to long term chronic conditions.

 Integrated hospital/physician delivery systems like Intermountain Health, Geisinger and Mayo Clinic are able to deliver higher quality of care on average at a cost that is 30 to 40% less than average fee for service medicine.

 Health care costs in real terms in 1960 were $100 Billion compared to $1.6 Trillion in 2002.

 The real cost of a day in a hospital rose by a factor of ten over 40 years from $128 in 1965 to $1,289. in 2002.

 Healthcare costs rise exponentially with age.

 The average per capital cost of healthcare in the United States for persons under 65 years of age is $2,761. and for persons over 65 is $12,271.

 The percent of the population of the United States over 65 was 4%. In 1950 it doubled to 8%.  In 2000, it tripled to 12%.

 The fastest growing age group in the United States is over 85.

 One third of the uninsured earn more than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level ($14,500.).

 30% of the population between 18 and 24 years of age are uninsured. 25% of those between 25 and 34 are uninsured. 16% of those between 35 and 54 are uninsured. 13% of those between 55 and 34 are uninsured.

 There is considerable variation between rates of surgical and diagnostic procedures regionally. 

 The reasons for 331/3 % of the surgical procedures performed in the United States are not supported by the clinical record.

 One half of the recommended medical services for chronic conditions are not received by American patients.

 Preventive care for the elderly fails to meet professional standards more than any other service.

 Quality of care for the treatment of cataracts meets professional standards 79% if the time compared with treatment for chronic alcoholism which meets standards only 11.9% percent of the time. Diabetes treatment meets standards 42% of the time.

 Most companies currently supporting 50 or more employees provide some form of health insurance.

 65% of job growth in the United States comes from small companies with 20 or fewer employees, most of whom do not provide health insurance coverage.

 

Full post as published by Healthcare Law Blog on November 01, 2010 (boomark / email).