"Unnecessary" care: Is it really a significant cost driver in our health care system?

Regardless of a person’s political views, we can all agree that rising cost is a major problem with our health care system. Last year, Americans spent 18 percent of our economy, or $3.6 trillion, on health care. The ever-increasing cost curve would suggest that by the 2030s the country will spend 30 percent of our gross domestic product on medical treatments.

Extensive research has been done to identify unnecessary care and wastefulness in the system. Estimates vary, but from 20 percent to 30 percent of health care in the U.S. is considered to have no value to patients. Many believe this waste...