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Medical Spending Differences in the United States and Canada: The Role of Prices, Procedures, and Administrative Expenses

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  • Cutler, David M.
  • Pozen, Alexis

Abstract

The United States far outspends Canada on health care, but the sources of additional spending are unclear. We evaluated the importance of incomes, administration, and medical interventions in this difference. Pooling various sources, we calculated medical personnel incomes, administrative expenses, and procedure volume and intensity for the United States and Canada. We found that Canada spent $1,589 per capita less on physicians and hospitals in 2002. Administration accounted for the largest share of this difference (39%), followed by incomes (31%), and more intensive provision of medical services (14%). Whether this additional spending is wasteful or warranted is unknown.

Suggested Citation

  • Cutler, David M. & Pozen, Alexis, 2010. "Medical Spending Differences in the United States and Canada: The Role of Prices, Procedures, and Administrative Expenses," Scholarly Articles 5343032, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hrv:faseco:5343032
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Joseph P. Newhouse, 1992. "Medical Care Costs: How Much Welfare Loss?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 6(3), pages 3-21, Summer.
    2. Pozen Alexis J & Cutler David M, 2009. "Comparing Health of People with Heart Disease in the United States and Canada," Forum for Health Economics & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 12(2), pages 1-15, September.
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    1. Keane, Michael P. & McCormick, Barry & Popławska, Gosia, 2020. "Health care spending in the US vs UK: The roles of medical education costs, malpractice risk and defensive medicine," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    2. Abe Dunn & Joshua D. Gottlieb & Adam Shapiro & Daniel J. Sonnenstuhl & Pietro Tebaldi, 2021. "A Denial a Day Keeps the Doctor Away," NBER Working Papers 29010, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Bichay, Nicolas, 2020. "Health insurance as a state institution: The effect of single-payer insurance on expenditures in OECD countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    4. Rodrigo R. Soares & Rudi Rocha & Michel Szklo, 2021. "American Delusion: Life Expectancy and Welfare in the US from an International Perspective," Working Papers 13, Instituto de Estudos para Políticas de Saúde.
    5. Jeffrey Clemens, 2012. "The Effect of U.S. Health Insurance Expansions on Medical Innovation," Discussion Papers 11-016, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
    6. Joshua D. Gottlieb & Maria Polyakova & Kevin Rinz & Hugh Shiplett & Victoria Udalova, 2020. "Who Values Human Capitalists' Human Capital? Healthcare Spending and Physician Earnings," Working Papers 20-23, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    7. David M. Cutler & Dan P. Ly, 2011. "The (Paper)Work of Medicine: Understanding International Medical Costs," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 25(2), pages 3-25, Spring.

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