Even the UK is astounded by the cost of H C in the US.

From the Lancet on Feb 25th: With US health expenditure rising past 16% of the country’s total economic
output—a level almost 50% higher than in any other country—politicians and business executives are scrambling to
avoid the bills for America’s ragged patchwork of public and private health systems.
Opinion polls indicate that healthcare bills are now of greater concern to the US public than terrorism, illegal
immigration, or the rapidly rising cost of petrol. At present, the polls suggest, only the war in Iraq and job creation are
more worrying to the Americans.
However this seems to be one set of opinion polls our legislators ignore!