A recent research study has found that the U.S. pays approximately $8,000 per capita for health care, according to 2009 figures reported by health reform foundation The Commonwealth Fund, making the U.S. No. 1 in health care spending among developed nations.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ranks the U.S. as spending 60 percent more than Switzerland, Canada, Germany, France and Japan on hospital services and about two and a half times more than the average spending on ambulatory care providers, such as physicians and dentists in their quality of care indicators.

The higher prices we pay for health care and perhaps our greater use of expensive technology are the more likely explanations for high health spending in the U.S, said David Squires, The Commonwealth Funds senior research associate, in a press release.

Although the U.S. spends the most on health care, this does not necessarily mean a clean bill of health for Americans.

According to The Commonwealth Fund, Americans now fare the worst in terms of preventable asthma fatalities among patients ages 5 to 39. The country also ranks poorly, alongside Germany, in diabetes-related amputations.

The life expectancy in the U.S. is also below the OECD country average of 80 years old. The OECD also reports the U.S. is below average in other quality of life rates such as infant mortality and potential years of life lost.

It is a common assumption that Americans get more health care services than people in other countries, but in fact we do not go to the doctor or the hospital as often, Squires said.

The average American patients hospital visit costs the health care system roughly $18,000. Similar care for a Canadian patient comes to $13,000; in other countries like Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany, it dips below $10,000, according to the OECD.

Although people from Sweden and the U.S. share about the same level of income, the U.S. spends $3,000 per person per year more than the Swedes.

Pharmaceutical prices are another place where the U.S. comes out on top in terms of spending. A recent OECD study of the 50 best-selling prescription drugs found that U.S. pharmaceutical prices were at least 60 percent higher than those in five large European countries in 2007.

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Cost of US health care highest, least effective