The fact that so many TV commercials are for meds (although they never tell you what they actually do), is a reflection of this too. Despite the fact that US life expectancy is no better than anywhere else, there is a heightened awareness of what might be wrong and tests are 'run', all the time. This is in part because doctors now have to protect themselves against litigation, but I know from 2nd hand experience that if you shout loud enough, most doctors will run tests on you.