Perhaps the most common complaint about the U.S. health care system is that Americans spend more on medical care than the citizens of any other nation without commensurate health benefits. While our health care delivery and insurance systems have many inefficiencies, one element that can drive up costs is global in scope: compared with citizens of other developed countries, Americans bear a disproportionate share of the hundreds of billions of dollars spent each year developing new drugs, vaccines, medical devices, and other life-saving health technologies.