Why is U.S. Health Care So Expensive? Part One

From the perspective of a financial advisor, Bill and Anastasia tackle the meaty topic of U.S. health care in this two-part episode series. In Part One, Bill covers reasons why the U.S. spends more on health care per capita than any country in the world. Additionally, why are Anastasia's friends receiving bills before insurance kicks in of $38,000+ for a baby delivery without complications? Why is insulin so expensive when the inventor originally sold the patent for $1? Bill relates his experience serving on the board of a local hospital. For 25 years, Bill served Broadlawns Medical Center, the publicly owned community hospital in Polk County, Iowa (the Greater Des Moines Metro Area) - 11 years as a non-paid publicly elected member of the Board of Trustees, including three years as Board Chair, and 14 years in an advisory role to the Board's Finance Committee. Bill has been credited with being the "architect of the turnaround" at the hospital, designing a plan that led to higher quality care at a more affordable price for all of Polk County citizens. Be sure to check out the rest of this topic, including strategies consumers can use to mitigate health care costs, during Part Two in two weeks! For comments and questions, you can email us at [email protected].