Study: U.S. healthcare system expensive, uneven

A new study from an international organization confirms what you probably suspected already: The American healthcare system is uneven, expensive, and inefficient.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that Americans pay far more for healthcare per person-more than $7,900-than do citizens of any of the other 34 OECD countries. For example, healthcare in the United States costs 62% more than in Switzerland, which has a similar per capita income and private health insurance.

Even so, Americans die earlier and receive less care than residents of other nations, the study found. Among the findings: Americans have fewer doctors and hospital beds, go to the hospital less often, and stay for shorter periods of time than three fourths of the other OECD nations.