A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association analyzed US healthcare costs compared to ten other high-income countries and found that the disparity in overall cost was primarily due to prices and administrative costs as opposed to over-utilization.

While the US’s rates of utilization were similar to the other countries studied, pharmaceutical spending per capita was nearly double in the US along with physician salaries, despite not differing substantially in physician or nursing workforce.

Full study from JAMA here.