Overview of international comparisons of health care expenditures.

Health care expenditure and utilization trends in the 24 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries are provided and analyzed in terms of trends in price, population, and volume-intensity. The United States spends more on health than other countries, both in absolute dollar terms and relative to gross domestic product. Moreover, the gap appears to have grown in recent years. Although international comparisons are difficult for a number of reasons outlined in the article, they can be useful in focusing efforts to understand what the United States is getting for its one-half trillion dollar expenditure on health services.