Smarter Health Outlay May Add Years to US Lifespans, Study Says

Americans could gain more than six years of healthy life if the US made better use of its world-leading health spending, according to a new global study.

The research found that people around the world could live an average of 3.3 more years if countries got better returns on their health budgets. Global inefficiencies declined steadily from 1995 to 2019 — until Covid-19 disrupted progress, according to the study, published Tuesday in The Lancet Global Health.

The pandemic triggered a drop in life expectancy and a surge in health spending. While efficiency has begun to recover, it still remains ...