Practicing neurosurgery in the United States

Compared with other developed countries, the U.S. spends a high percentage of its gross domestic product on healthcare: 16 percent in 2005, up from 15 percent in 2004. This is far and away the greatest percentage of GDP spent on healthcare of any nation for which such data is collected. However, the high level of healthcare spending is not reflected in globally accepted indicators of quality such as comparatively longer life expectancy and lower infant mortality. Moreover, the U.S. government pays for the healthcare of less than half its population, and the percentage of uninsured people is a relatively high 15.3 percent.