Massachusetts spends more money on health care than any other place in the world, according to a study by Boston University’s School of Public Health. The study, which analyzed 2004 healthcare expenditures, found that Massachusetts spent $7,075 per person--33.2% higher than the U.S. average of $5,313, reports The Boston Globe. New York, which spent $6,635 per person, was the second most expensive state for health care, and Utah, which spent $4,043 per person, was the least expensive. Massachusetts also had the highest increase in healthcare spending from 2000 to 2004. The reason for Massachusetts’ high healthcare costs is that the state has too many physicians, no incentive to contain costs, and a large number of teaching hospitals, said the study’s authors. And health insurance premiums will rise even higher as the state begins to implement universal coverage for all residents, the authors add. The Massachusetts Hospital Association argues that the state offers the best healthcare in the world and that hospitals are attempting to lower costs through better efficiency.
