Unnecessary health care

Unnecessary health care (overutilization, overuse, or overtreatment) is healthcare provided with a higher volume or cost than is appropriate. In the United States, where health care costs are the highest as a percentage of GDP, overuse is the predominant factor in its expense, accounting for about a third of healthcare spending in the US ($750 billion out of $2.6 trillion). Factors that drive overuse include paying healthcare providers more to do more (fee-for-service) and covering patients' costs by a third-party (public or private insurance) payer. These factors leave both doctors and patients with no incentive to restrain health care prices or use.