Healthcare Cost, in Perspective

The per capita health care cost in the US is $6,096, in most other OECD countries, about $3000.

If we can reduce the health care cost of the US down to about $3,000, we would save about $900 billion dollars. To put that in perspective, the projected US budget deficit for 2008 is about $438 billion (excluding the $700B bailout).

So if we can have the health care cost that every other developed countries have, then without reducing anyone's standards of livings (there is no evidence that Americans receive better health care by any reasonable metric), we can basically balance the budget with the money saved.

And still have enough money left for Sarah Palin to built as many bridges to nowhere as she fancies.