US Healthcare System Loses Ground

A recent study1 looked at the 15-year survival rate for 45 and 65 year old Americans from 1975 to 2005 and compared them to those seen in a dozen modern countries. They also looked at healthcare spend- ing in these 13 countries. Back in the 1970s, the US spent more on average than all other countries except Switzerland.

However, from 1970 through 2002 healthcare expenditures in the US...