Final answer:
The exact percentage of the UK's GDP spent on healthcare is not provided in the given material, but the US spends 17% of its GDP on healthcare, which is higher than the average 11% spent by similar countries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The gross domestic product (GDP) that the United Kingdom spends on healthcare is not directly provided in the materials given, so I cannot provide an accurate figure for the current expenditure without further research beyond the knowledge cutoff of 2023. However, it is known that healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP varies from country to country. For reference, in 2019, the United States spent 17% of its GDP on healthcare, which was far more than other comparable countries, which on average spent 11%. In comparison, a country like the UK, with a national healthcare system (NHS), typically spends a lower percentage of its GDP on healthcare than the US.
Healthcare spending is often a subject of discussion due to its impact on a country's economy and the quality of health outcomes it provides to its citizens. The high expenditure in the US is notable for not correlating with better health outcomes, such as life expectancy and infant mortality rates, which are worse in comparison to other developed countries.
It is also important to consider that healthcare spending can change over time due to various factors such as an aging population, policy changes, and economic growth. For example, healthcare spending in the US is projected to grow annually, further increasing the portion of government spending devoted to healthcare programs like Medicare.