Pittsburgh has oldest Medicare population, yet Miami-area spends nearly double

Along a palm tree-lined road, a red neon wheelchair beckons with promises of affordable medical supplies. Ten miles away, the administrator of a jam-packed nursing home puts three more people on a waiting list. And in the Aventura Medical Center, cardiologist Dr. Enrique Hanabergh justifies ordering an expensive nuclear stress test, looking for the peace of mind that a conventional stress test won't give him. "You don't look at the cost," Hanabergh said. "You don't look to see if it's expensive or not expensive. My philosophy has always been to do what's right for the patient." Healthcare is big business here in Miami, one of several cities examined as part of a yearlong Tribune-Review investigation of America's skyrocketing medical costs.