Most people are not rich, but if the richest 1/10 spend ten times the amount of what the rest in average, that alone almost doubles the total average. Averages

Most people are not rich, but if the richest 1/10 spend ten times the amount of what the rest in average, that alone almost doubles the total average. Averages are funny that way. I don't think this is even far fetched, because if you have the money and you are going to die, why would you not clutch to any straws you are being offered? Certainly the same takes place in other rich countries as well, but maybe in not quite the same extent. Anyway, it would be very interesting to see how the healthcare spending would look like when grouped in percentiles by the total spending of each patient. I wouldn't be surprised if there was quite a bulge on the far right with the U.S. and not so much elsewhere. Another reason why I don't consider this a big flaw is that expensive treatments are also often experimental and drive the general medicine forward, which may make them more affordable and more generally accessible in the future. Not saying the system is perfect. Just that maybe it's not such an outrageous rip-off as the article makes it look like.