This should be GDP adjusted, since most of that money goes back in the country, paying healcare workers. Both the US and Europe employs people in the pharmaceut

This should be GDP adjusted, since most of that money goes back in the country, paying healcare workers. Both the US and Europe employs people in the pharmaceutical and medical equipment industry, and research. So really, gross numbers don't make much sense for the sake of comparison. People in high GDP per capita countries are better paid, duh. And here, if you adjust for GDP, the effect disappears. And in fact, in rich countries, it is normal for healthcare expenses to go up in proportion to GDP since health is a basic need and not a solved problem. That is, rich countries can give food and shelter to their entire population but there is no panacea. It doesn't mean it is good for the US, but it is a dubious statistic to pick when you want to highlight a disfunctional healthcare system. Try life expectancy instead.