I think the total expenditures for health care in the United States are too high because costs are extreme for the average income for middle class citizens. The average middle class income is about $45,000 and health care can consume a significant portion of that, especially if healthcare is purchased independently.

Historical spending measures annual health spending in the U.S. by type of good or service delivered (hospital care, physician and clinical services, retail prescription drugs, etc.) and source of funding for those services (private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, out-of-pocket spending, etc.) . One reason the cost of health care is high is because of expensive new technology being developed. Technology is the underlying driver for health care and the price may never go down. One specific approach, to help contain cost, would be to obtain better Health Information Technology (HIT) systems. Some providers are lacking information systems that would improve coordination of a patient’s care with other providers. With HIT systems, healthcare providers would be able to share needed information, to monitor compliance, coordinate preventive health initiatives, and measure and improve healthcare delivery. The supply of HIT systems would probably increase due to the need of medical technology in hospitals and primary care offices. HIT can also better support care coordination through the development of referral-tracking systems, improved approaches to reconciling patients' medications, and expansion of “problem list” capabilities — to avoid cluttering of lists with redundant information, for example, and permit sorting and searching of lists and linking of listed problems to relevant portions of progress notes, assessments, and treatment plans. Currently, there is a lack of physicians compared to the need. With HIT systems, physicians would be