Does vascular surgery cost too much?

Projected total national health expenditures to 2017. Data from Keehan et al, 2008.³

Per capita spending on health care. Data from Keehan et al, 2008.³

US health expenditures as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) (light blue bars) and the average annual growth in health expenditures (solid blue line) vs the average annual GDP growth (solid red line). Adapted from Keehan et al, 2008.³

Health care spending as a proportion of the federal budget. In 2017, health care spending is projected to comprise approximately one third of the US budget. Data from the Congressional Budget Office.

Utilization (blue) and medical prices (red) dominate the growth in health care spending. These costs deal with physicians' practice patterns and their prescription of drugs and use of medical devices. Adapted from Keehan et al, 2008.³

Life expectancy vs national per capita spending on health care.

Ratio of state to the US average of total Medicare spending for patients with chronic diseases (including peripheral arterial disease) adjusted for age, illness severity, and other factors that influence health care utilization, from Wennberg et al, 2008.⁶

The correlation of the number of cardiologists per 100,000 population vs visits to cardiologists among Medicare enrollees, from Wennberg et al, 2008.⁶

Regional variation in the rate of aortic aneurysm repair, from Dartmouth-CMS-FDA Collaborative 2006.⁹

Cartoon from the Ft Worth Star Tribune, 2009.