Americans pay too much for health care -- in charts

By Ezra Klein

There are a lot of complicated explanations for why American health-care costs so much, but there are also some simple ones. Chief among them is "we pay too much." And I don't mean in general. I mean specifically. Mountains of research show that for every piece of care you might name -- a drug, a doctor visit, a diagnostic -- you'll pay far more in the United States than in other countries. That's why seniors head to Canada to buy drugs made in the United States. In Canada, the government negotiates one low price. In America, insurers with much less bargaining power negotiate many higher prices.

But it's one thing to say that that's true. It's another thing to see it. Here are four graphs from the International Federation of Health Plans tracking what people in other countries pay for various medical services and items, and what we pay. Note that the American number manifests as a range, while the others don't: That's because in other countries, the government gets one price, while in our country, an array of insurers get many different prices.

The most positive spin you can give this data is that we're paying too subsidize innovation for everyone, and though that's not ideal, it's better than that innovation not happening. The less positive spin is that we're just getting ripped off.

Many more charts here. For an analytical take -- and a good look at the political economy of the problem -- read Alec MacGillis's October article on the subject.