Growing health care costs have put pressure on governments around the world. From 1967 to 1987, total health care expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic product nearly doubled—from 3.8% to 7.4%—for the 23 countries represented in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In 1987, the mean health care expenditure per person in OECD countries was $934, with $2051 for the USA, $1483 for Canada, $1233 for Sweden, and $1105 for France. Not surprisingly, lower expenditures were reported for poorer countries such as Greece, Turkey, Portugal, and Spain. However, both the United Kingdom and New Zealand had expenditures that were lower than the OECD average.
In contrast to the sharp increases in the USA, health care expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic product have stabilized in Canada and in many European countries. Furthermore, the aging of the population alone does not explain the bulk of the increases in the USA, despite the fact that throughout the developed world, per capita expenses are greater for the elderly than for the younger population. In all developed countries, other factors are at work (eg, increases in the population that is eligible for medical entitlements, as well as a significant increase in real benefits).