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Fact Of The Day #82: The Spiking Cost Of Hospital Care (INFOGRAPHIC)

Another Reason To Stay Out Of The Hospital
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 26: Ambulances wait to evacuate patients at Coney Island Hospital due to the impending Hurricane Irene, which is expected to make landfall in New York City sometime late tomorrow or early the next day, on August 26, 2011 in New York City. Coney Island Hospital, which is just two feet above sea level, will be closing and is in the process of evacuating 240 patients, 24 of whom are in critical condition. While Hurricane Irene lost some of its power in open water north of the Bahamas, the storm is still packing 110 mph winds. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 26: Ambulances wait to evacuate patients at Coney Island Hospital due to the impending Hurricane Irene, which is expected to make landfall in New York City sometime late tomorrow or early the next day, on August 26, 2011 in New York City. Coney Island Hospital, which is just two feet above sea level, will be closing and is in the process of evacuating 240 patients, 24 of whom are in critical condition. While Hurricane Irene lost some of its power in open water north of the Bahamas, the storm is still packing 110 mph winds. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The cost of the average American hospital stay nearly doubled from 2000 to 2010 while average stay length declined. The decade was a period of low inflation, but some sectors of the economy didn't get the memo. Charges for a hospitalization soared from an average $17,390 in 2000 to $33,079 in 2010. In the U.S. we spend almost three times as much on a hospital stay as other industrialized countries, even though their average stay tends to be longer.

If you're interested in what specific procedures cost in the U.S. compared to other industrialized nations (OECD averages), click to see today's infographic.

ftfinhospitalcosts

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