Healthcare costs in the US compared to other developed countries---I AM the problem! Seriously, I AM the problem...

A visually creative way to illustrate the costs of healthcare in the US vs. European countries.  We see a separation during the 80's  The first graph shows expenditures on healthcare per person over time. The second graph shows obesity rates over time. The second graph is only for the US, 6 European countries and Japan (the so-called G-8 countries).  The third graph I put them side-by-side.  Admittedly the second graph has a smaller sample, but I assume the relationship would hold if the other European countries were added to the mix. I am not suggesting "correlation is causation" but, our pesonal health habits and responsibilities are not talked about enough in the debate about the cost of healthcare. Full disclosure: I am part of the problem too---high cholesterol, high blood pressure and about 30 pounds over "ideal" weight.  It is very easy for me to see how per person healthcare costs are considerably more in the US relative to other developed countries.  Why is it not a larger part of the debate? Just askin'... 

Source HERE

Source HERE

This last graph you have to click on it to make it bigger AND you have to visually adjust the timeline of the graph on the right.  They dont match up exactly as is, so you have to be a little creative to see the correlation I am suggesting...