Abstract
Plans to optimize health care in the United States highlight the high cost but rarely explore opportunities for redirecting resources within the existing system to increase access to care while lowering spending. This analysis indicates that, of the total national health care expenditures of $3.21 trillion in 2015, only $1.4 trillion to $2.86 trillion was used to provide care to patients. This range was reached by the subtraction of excess spending in 7 categories. Thus, many opportunities exist to repurpose wasted expenditures to increase access to health care without the need for additional funding.
Keywords:
United States; benefits; health care; spending.
© 2019 American Cancer Society.
MeSH terms
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Cost Savings
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Cost-Benefit Analysis
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Cross Infection / economics
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Cross Infection / epidemiology
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Cross Infection / therapy
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Delivery of Health Care / economics*
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Delivery of Health Care / organization & administration
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Delivery of Health Care / statistics & numerical data*
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Efficiency, Organizational / economics
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Female
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Fraud / economics
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Fraud / statistics & numerical data
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Health Care Costs / statistics & numerical data
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Health Expenditures / statistics & numerical data*
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Health Services Misuse / economics
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Health Services Misuse / statistics & numerical data
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Humans
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Insurance Coverage / economics
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Insurance Coverage / statistics & numerical data
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Male
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Medical Errors / economics
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Medical Errors / statistics & numerical data
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Quality of Health Care / economics*
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Quality of Health Care / statistics & numerical data
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United States / epidemiology