Health Affairs

Health Affairs, 26, no. 6 (2007): w678-w686 (Published online 2 October 2007) doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.6.w678 © 2007 by Project HOPE	New Online   Getting Health Reform Done   After the State of the Union   Incremental Reform   E-Health in Developing World   Most-Read Articles in 2009

This Article Full Text (HTML) Reprint (PDF) Technical Appendix Submit a response to this article Comments: View responses Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Comments are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Personal Archive Download to Citation Manager Reprints & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Thorpe, K. E. Articles by Galactionova, K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Thorpe, K. E. Articles by Galactionova, K. Related Collections International Issues Pharmaceuticals Chronic Care Health Spending Consumer Issues Variations

Web Exclusives

Differences In Disease Prevalence As A Source Of The U.S.-European Health Care Spending Gap

Kenneth E. Thorpe, David H. Howard and Katya Galactionova

The United States spends more on health care than any European country. Previous studies have sought to explain these differences in terms of system capacity, access to technologies, gross domestic product, and prices. We examine differences in disease prevalence and treatment rates for ten of the most costly conditions between the United States and ten European countries using surveys of the noninstitutionalized population age fifty and older. Disease prevalence and rates of medication treatment are much higher in the United States than in these European countries. Efforts to reduce the U.S. prevalence of chronic illness should remain a key policy goal.

                      What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. H. Howard, L. C. Richardson, and K. E. Thorpe Cancer Screening And Age In The United States And Europe Health Aff., November 1, 2009; 28(6): 1838 - 1847. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Avendano, M. M. Glymour, J. Banks, and J. P. Mackenbach Health Disadvantage in US Adults Aged 50 to 74 Years: A Comparison of the Health of Rich and Poor Americans With That of Europeans Am J Public Health, March 1, 2009; 99(3): 540 - 548. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Bodenheimer, E. Chen, and H. D. Bennett Confronting The Growing Burden Of Chronic Disease: Can The U.S. Health Care Workforce Do The Job? Health Aff., January 1, 2009; 28(1): 64 - 74. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. F. Anderson and B. K. Frogner Health Spending In OECD Countries: Obtaining Value Per Dollar Health Aff., November 1, 2008; 27(6): 1718 - 1727. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Comments: