U.S. health care company profits

If you’ve wondered how it is that a nation like the United States could spend so much on health care and yet have life expectancy rates below many other nations, read on.

Where do we spend our money? Why are we not surprised to learn that profits continue to multiply for health care companies at rates well above other industries? And why are we not surprised to learn that level of moneymaking seems unlikely to change anytime soon, even with health care reform taken into consideration?

Data compiled by MarketWatch shows that the 52 companies in the index will close out the decade with average profits that nearly tripled.

By the time they close the books on this calendar year, the biggest U.S. health-care companies are expected to net $94 billion on the more than $1 trillion in revenue that they rake in. Some of that change reflects industry consolidation, but much of it came through internal growth.

From drugmakers to biotech firms to insurers, all of the subsectors within the industry showed healthy gains in one realm or another.