Healthcare (US)

Overview
The U.S. healthcare industry consists of hospitals; nursing and residential care facilities; offices of physicians, dentists and other health practitioners; and ambulatory health care services. As one of the largest industries, health care provided 14.3 million jobs in 2008 for wage and salary workers.

The Congressional Budget Office reported that about half of all growth in health care spending in the past several decades was associated with changes in medical care, made possible by advances in technology. Clinical developments, such as infection control, less-invasive surgical techniques, advances in reproductive technology and gene therapy for cancer treatment, continue to increase the longevity and improve the quality of life of many Americans. Advances in medical technology also have improved the survival rates of trauma victims and the severely ill.

In addition, handheld computers are used to record a patient’s medical history. Information about vital signs and orders for tests are transferred electronically to a main database, which reduces the need for paper and reduces recordkeeping errors.

By The Numbers
In 2009, the U.S. federal, state and local governments, corporations and individuals spent $2.5 trillion — or $8,047 per person — on health care. This amount represented 17.3 percent of the gross domestic product, up from 16.2 percent in 2008.

Health care will generate 3.2 million new wage and salary jobs between 2008 and 2018, more than any other industry, largely in response to rapid growth in the elderly population.

Ten of the 20 fastest-growing occupations in the United States are health care-related.

Contact
For opportunities in the US Healthcare sector, please contact the National US India Chamber of Commerce:

700 17th Street, Suite 2000, 20th Floor
Denver, CO 80202, USA
Phone: 720-323-3728
Fax: 303-273-9337
Email: info@nuicc.org