Question: Employer-provided private health insurance:

Answer: is unique to the United States and not typically found in other countries.

Question: Employer-provided private health insurance began in the United States because:

Answer: during World War II, wage and price controls forced employers to use nonwage forms of compensation to attract workers.

Question: The twin problems of the U.S. health care industry are:

Answer: rapidly rising costs and unequal access to health care

Question: When the United States is described as having a dual system of health care, this means that:

Answer: those Americans with good insurance or substantial wealth receive world-class health care, while those without insurance receive no or low-quality health care.

Question: The major purpose of Medicare is to:

Answer: provide health care services to people on Social Security.

Question: The major objective of Medicaid is to:

Answer: provide health care services to those receiving public assistance.

Question: Between 1960 and 2011, U.S. health care spending as a percentage of domestic output:

Answer: more than tripled

Question: As a percentage of GDP, U.S. health care spending is:

Answer: higher than for any other major industrial country.

Question: Approximately what percentage of U.S. health care spending is financed by public insurance?

Answer: 50%

Question: The number of Americans without health insurance (as of 2011) is approximately:

Answer: 49 million, or about 16 percent of the population.