Part of the issue with health care in the US in the widespread belief that we can live forever.  The stories I can tell you about my family and the hundreds of thousands of health care dollars spent on sickly, elderly folks to keep them alive but sickly (some barely cognizant) for years would blow your mind.  

One elderly, chronically ill relative was in a critical care unit for 5, yes 5, years.  Care to guess what that cost?  A family friend is in critical care on a ventilator despite that everyone knows his brain is gone.  My 76 yo aunt goes to the doctor regularly - she has great insurance! - to get her blood levels checked for whatever ache she has.  She has a new kneed because her old one was hurting (dare I say no marathon runner is she).  Her husband's dead, her kids are launched, but dang if she's going to take a chance of getting sick or have discomfort.

Too many health care dollars are being spent on people who are already dead.