The skyrocketing cost of U.S. health care: By the numbers

The fate of ObamaCare may be in doubt, but one thing's for sure: Rising health-care costs are making it harder and harder for Americans to stay insured

Doctor
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No matter what the Supreme Court decides regarding the constitutionality of President Obama's health-care overhaul, this much is clear: Health-care costs are rising, and will keep rising, so Americans aren't getting much bang for their health care buck. Health consulting firm Milliman Inc. expects 2012 to be the fifth year in a row that U.S. health-care costs will jump about 7 or 8 percent, and while people who pay out of pocket generally are the hardest hit, even Americans with employer-sponsored plans have increasingly seen the costs eat up their salaries. Here, a numerical guide to how expensive it is to be healthy in the U.S.:

$2.6 trillion

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$8,402

Amount that works out to per American

17.9

Percentage of GDP the $2.6 trillion constitutes

$9,235

Cost, in 2002, to cover a family of four under an employer plan

$20,000

Estimated cost to cover a family of four under an employer health plan in 2012, according to Milliman

113

Percent increase in employer-sponsored premiums since 2001

$7,102

Cost, in 2010, for a typical family not enrolled in a group or employer health plan

6.6

Percentage of a household budget spent on health care in 2010

$950

Annual per capita spending on pharmaceutical expenses

78.2

Average U.S. life expectancy

$5,352

Annual per capita cost of health care in Norway, the second-most expensive nation in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

$800

Annual out-of-pocket expenses per person in Norway

81

Average life expectancy in Norway

$4,478

Annual per capita cost of health care in Canada, No. 6 in the OECD

80.7

Average life expectancy in Canada

$3,978

Annual per capita cost of health care in France, No. 10 in the OECD

$290

Annual out-of-pocket expense per person in France

81.5

Average life expectancy in France

Sources: CNNMoney, National Journal, 24/7 Wall St.