Question of the Week – 05 March 2007

(Background for question of the week):

America’s Health Care Expenditures Will Double In Next Ten Years!

The cost of taking care of America’s health is set to double over the next ten years to an annual bill of over 4 trillion dollars (that’s $4,000,000,000,000) according to a new report by federal economics experts. This means that by the year 2016, nearly 20 cents of every dollar earned in the US economy will be spent on health care.

The report puts the current spending on America’s health at 2.1 trillion dollars per year (based on 2006 estimates). This represents 16 cents in every dollar earned in the US economy.

(Question of the week):

Why do you think the amount of money spent on prescription drugs, doctor’s office visits, and surgeries are going to double over the next ten year?

  1. The average American is getting sicker, more often, because of lack of exercise and poor nutritional choices.

  2. The pharmaceutical industry is taking advantage of us.

  3. The government is to busy worrying about giving themselves pay raises and losing their PAC money to address this situation.

  4. The FDA, pharmaceutical industry, and the US government are spending billions of dollars to suppress low cost, effective, natural, alternative treatments so only the most expensive treatments will be available.

  5. All of the above.