Stat!: Are Americans Getting Healthier?

• Annual health care spending in the US: $2 trillion
• Annual cost of treating chronic illness in the US: $1.5 trillion

Yes. Really.

And nearly half of us have at least one chronic health condition, including

• Chronic pain – 116 million adults
• Arthritis – 50 million
• Type 2 diabetes – 25.6 million
• “Cancer survivorship” – 12 million

“The best health care system in the world”? Hardly. Most expensive, you’d better believe it. ( Here’s a look at how the US really fares. )

The really sad part? Such diseases are largely preventable, driven by lifestyle and environmental factors.

Stats source: Institute of Medicine , via the LA Times