A lot of padding before the core: > There were two areas where the United States really was quite different: We pay substantially higher prices for medical ser

A lot of padding before the core: > There were two areas where the United States really was quite different: We pay substantially higher prices for medical services, including hospitalization, doctors’ visits and prescription drugs. > And our complex payment system causes us to spend far more on administrative costs. > The United States also has a higher rate of poverty and more obesity than any of the other countries, possible contributors to lower life expectancy that may not be explained by differences in health care delivery systems. So the explanation for "why is this so expensive" is "we pay more"...