[sigmaprimus]

If I was to make a guess, I would say because unfortunate as it is, innovations in the health care field are currently driven by profit.

I am not sure if the argument regarding life expectancy being tied to healthcare costs is a valid one as there are so many other factors, but I do know that there is somewhat of a brain drain that tends to draw health specialists from countries with lower health care costs to the US. Eg: According to Google... An anesthesiologist's average annual salary in Canada is $218,069 where as in the US the average is $403,300 and that is without doing any currency exchange. This results in a reduced number of surgeries in Canada as it is required to have an anesthesiologist present when ever someone is sedated, and that results in long waiting lists, especially for non essential surgeries such as those for knee or back pain. 2 years or more is not unusual before getting a referral to see a specialist and then there can be just as long of a wait for the surgery. Basically in Canada we have very low health care costs but also defacto bread lines for medical treatment.