Princeton University economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton say that America’s high health-care costs are so far above what people pay in other countries that they are the equivalent of a hefty tax, the Washington Post reported. They are surprised Americans aren’t revolting against these taxes. The U.S. health-care system is the most expensive in the world, costing about $1 trillion more per year than the next-most-expensive system — Switzerland’s. That means U.S. households pay an extra $8,000 per year, compared with what Swiss families pay. Case and Deaton view this extra cost as a “poll tax,” meaning it is levied on every individual regardless of their ability to pay. Despite paying $8,000 more a year than anyone else, American families do not have better health outcomes, the economists argue. Life expectancy in the U.S. is lower than in Europe.
