This important article from the Journal of the American Medical Association outlines the state of health in the US, comparing and contrasting it to other countries. Given our health spend, the data is not pretty, nor is it surprising. The US News and World Report article summarizing the study notes that our lifestyle is a major culprit contributing to morbidity and disability. As the author Harvey Fineberg MD said:

 “We spend, on average, twice as much as the rest of the countries. Approximately 30 percent of all health expenditures in the United States, which would amount to $750 billion a year, don’t actually contribute to better health…We have a big job ahead of us to create a health care system that really adds value and doesn’t just cost and waste a lot of money.”

This editorial in the Journal of American Medical Association provides further context and thought on the situation.