The author of the blog post, despite a great deal of sophistication, somehow didn't seem to account for the fact that AIC in the US
includes health care spending. And by definition, this will be excluded from almost every other nation in the list, where most of the health care costs are paid by the government.
Ooops.
I do agree that nations spend more on health care as they become wealthier. What I don't agree with is his position that the higher costs of care in the US are explained by the alleged higher standard of living or GDP per capita. It may be a small contributor, but it doesn't explain the massive discrepancy -- which is hidden in some charts by using log instead of linear scales. I.e. the US isn't twice as affluent as nations like Italy or France or the UK, yet we still spend twice as much as they do on health care as a percentage of GDP.
(2008 figures, as a typical example)
We should note that the additional spending doesn't improve outcomes. Compared to the rest of the OECD, US infant mortality rate is much higher; life expectancy is slightly lower; the US has more chronic diseases and higher obesity rates; we do well with cancer care, but poorly with heart disease and diabetes; much of our spending is on the elderly, for care that neither extends life significantly or improves quality of life. Despite the myths, the US has wait times nearly the same as the rest of the OECD. Just because we don't have to wait as long for an MRI doesn't mean that the shortage of GPs, or delays in other types of care, or inability to afford procedures or pharmaceuticals, does not exist.
Now, we do know (from other studies) that Americans do consume more pharmaceuticals and use certain services far more than other OECD nations. E.g. we get twice as many MRIs and CT scans than the OECD median. Ironically, this flies in the face of many conservative critics who assert that socializing care will result in an increase in frivolous use of health care services.
And.... We know that medical costs are a significant factor for US bankruptcies. That's far less of an issue in other OECD nations.
This is not to say that socialized or single-payer systems are all hugs and puppies. They have their own issues and challenges. The US system, however, seems to be much worse on nearly every count and measure, including cost. Massaging statistics and making nice charts ultimately can't obscure that issue.