The picture worth thousands of words is from down town U.S.A. and when I was in training this person would be immediately adm by a roving ci t izen to an acute care facility, a spotless one I might add.

This outcome of a life of potentially happy, joyous and free is grossly lost by a pursuit that has Sooo wrong the cure must come from the devil that created it.

The U.S. health care system is widely characterized by a “high cost, low performance” paradox, where it spends more per capita than any other wealthy nation yet achieves some of the worst health outcomes. As of early 2026, major systemic issues include severe affordability barriers, administrative waste, and deep inequities in access. 

Core Systemic Failures

• Extreme Costs with Poor Outcomes: The U.S. spends approximately 18% of its GDP on health care—nearly double the average of other wealthy nations—yet ranks last among peer countries in life expectancy, infant mortality, and maternal mortality.
• Affordability & Debt: Nearly half of U.S. adults report difficulty affording health care costs. Medical debt is the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S., affecting roughly 41% of adults as of 2026.
• Administrative Waste: Approximately 25% of all U.S. health care spending is wasted on administrative complexity, billing inefficiencies, and “private-sector bloat”. The U.S. spends five times more per person on administrative costs than its wealthy peers.
• Corporate Consolidation: Large insurers and private equity firms increasingly control clinical resources, often prioritizing shareholder profits over patient care. For example, UnitedHealth Group is now the largest employer of physicians in the U.S.
• Access and Equity Gaps
• Coverage Insecurity: Over 28 million Americans remain uninsured, a number expected to rise as federal subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) lapse and significant cuts to Medicaid are implemented.
• Racial & Geographic Disparities: Black, Hispanic, and rural populations face significantly higher barriers to care and worse mortality rates for treatable conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
• Workforce Burnout: A critical shortage of primary care physicians is worsening as providers retire early or leave the profession due to “moral injury” and excessive administrative burdens. National Institutes of Health (.gov) +3

Current Market Impact (Insurance Sector)

Recent policy shifts, including effectively unchanged Medicare rates for 2026, have significantly impacted the financial health of major insurers. 

In 2024, the United States spent an estimated $14,885 per person on healthcare — the highest healthcare costs per capita across similar countries. For comparison, Switzerland was the second highest-spending country with $9,963 in healthcare costs per capita, while the average for wealthy OECD countries, excluding the United States, was $7,371 per person. Such comparisons indicate that the United States spends a disproportionate amount on healthcare.

The United States has worse healthcare outcomes compared to other wealthy countries

United

State

Life
Expectancy

Infant
Mortality

Safety During
Childbirth

Unmanaged
Asthma

Unmanaged
Diabetes

Heart Attack
Mortality

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