Hospital Costs

Where They Come From

Higher US healthcare spending is primarily attributable to much more spending in hospitals than in other countries.

The average length of stay in US hospitals is actually substantially lower than in other, similar countries. So the culprit must be the frequency of hospital visits or the amount spent per visit.

Source: OECD

Americans don’t go to the hospital more frequently than other countries. This leaves more spending per hospital visit as the primary culprit of higher healthcare costs.