Why do we pay so much for health care?

"Because we like to survive heart attacks.", says Hugh Hewitt at www.hughhewitt.com

He then directs his readers to an interesting article on the treatment of heart attacks and the great improvements in survivability that have resulted, albeit, with rising medical costs. The article is by David Brown and called

A Case of Getting What You Pay For
With Heart Attack Treatments, as Quality Rises, So Does Cost

and was published on 26 July 2009 in the Washington Post. It is a fascinating story, for which it says there is an analogue for each of the following medical problems: cancer, premature births, arthritis, HIV, mental illness, and many more diseases and problems.