Whenever I go back to the United States, as I did in October, I put myself through a kind of re-indoctrination program: listening to talk radio. This time, driving from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, I had six full hours of it in each direction. The air waves were filled chatter about health-care reform. No surprise there; the Obama administration's push on health care is hugely contentious.But as I drove, something else - something not always obvious to those of who have spent so much time out of the country - became clear: the sheer size of the health-care industry in the United States. At least half the radio commercials were health related. Do you have any idea how many "joint centers" (think arthritis) there must be in the towns and cities between Philly and Pittsburgh? Also, I never knew that ILM (involuntary leg movement) was the scourge it apparently is. Then there are the buildings along the highways - clinics, pharmaceutical companies, medical centers.
How big is the U.S. health-care industry? (Most of the figures below are from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.)
- It's the largest industry in the country.
- It's 17 percent of the American economy.
- It employs 14 million Americans (as of 2006)
- Seven of the 20 fastest-growing occupations in America are health-care related (as of 2006)
- The industry will generate 3 million new wage and salary jobs between 2006 and 2016, more than any other industry
Something I saw in Pittsburgh, once the capital of the American steel industry, drove the point home to me. The tallest building there is the 64-story U.S. Steel Tower. The top of the building now bears the logo UPMC - University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. That says a lot.
