Further stats from a recent Economist article. The US is up to 16% of
its GDP spent on health care in 2004 (more if you count the tax break
US firms get for offering health care coverage to their employees).
Canada spends just under 10% of its GDP on health care and gets better
health outcomes (e.g. longevity). Of that 16% of GDP in the US, the
government picks up over 6% for the elderly, poor and veterans (and pays
inflated prices set by the "for profit" sector).

Health care inflation outstrips the general inflation figure in almost
all advanced countries. So every nation has a problem, the US just has
a relatively bigger one.

The US's neighbours and friends can sleep a little sounder at night
knowing that if the US had an efficient health care system, it would
have 6% more of its GDP to spend on foreign adventures.

BTW There has been a spike in shark attacks on Australian beaches this
summer. Could there be a connection?