The United States is by far the country that spends most onhealth care, yet has the worst overall population health, accordingto a new report.

The U.S. spent $7,500 per person on health care in 2008,according to a recent report from The Conference Board of Canada.The U.S. spends 16 percent of its gross domestic product on healthcare, with private expenses making up the majority of thatspending. This is 50 percent more than the second highest spender,Norway.

The U.S. also has the highest proportion of private expenditureson health and is the only country among its peers with a greatershare of private than public spending.

Yet the country ranked last among the 16 peer countries onpopulation health. The U.S. records the lowest life expectancy andranks last on infant mortality.

Additionally, physicians in the U.S. are among the highest paid,but they are also most likely to have to pay the highest insurancepremiums. Not surprisingly, the report also states the U.S. spendsfar more than other countries on diagnostic tests.

In general, the report showed that the richer the country, thegreater the amount spent on health care. And spending moreapparently doesn’t result in better outcomes.

“The adage that you get what you pay for applies in general tohealth care spending, but there are some major exceptions among theworld’s most developed countries,” says David Stewart-Patterson,The Conference Board of Canada’s vice president, public policy.

Japan, the country with the lowest health expenditures (at$2,729 per person), has excellent health outcomes – the Japanesehave both the highest life expectancy and the second-lowest infantmortality rate among the peer countries assessed.