Spiritual_Wellness_Holistic_Health_and_the_Practic

308 Philosophical Foundations of Health Education
TABLE 26.1
Relative Ranking of the United States on Selected
Indicators, 1960, 1980, and 1998
Indicator 1960 1980 1998
Life expectancy at birth, females 54 58 35
Life expectancy at birth, males 38 44 39
Life expectancy at age 60, females 85 85 45
Life expectancy at age 60, males 46 73 55
Infant mortality 61 39 19 A
Potential years of life lost 42 19 31
Average annual alcohol intake per capita 56 64 63 A
Practicing physicians per 1,000 population 88 52 53
Acute hospital beds per 1,000 population 50 29 29 A
Hospital acute care days per capita NA 11 16 A
Average length of acute inpatient stay NA 10 32 A
Health spending per capita 100 100 100
Health spending, percentage of gross domestic
product
94 92 100
Source: OECD, 2000. Reprinted with permission from Anderson & Hussey, 2001, p. 229.
Note: NA not available.
A
1997
Not so. It is known that countries with higher average wealth spend proportionally
more on medical care. However, Anderson and Hussey (2001) report that, taking the
average wealth of U.S. citizens into account, the expected level of U.S. health spending
is $ 2,868 per capita. This is still $ 1,301 less than the actual spent per person in the
United States, or $ 370 billion when multiplied by the approximately 281 million
Americans (Anderson & Hussey, 2001).