Bread for the World Puts Price Tag on Hunger: $160 billion in health care. Hunger and food insecurity are so widespread in the United States they add $160 billion to national health care spending, according Bread for the World, Hunger is a key factor in the U.S. having the worst infant mortality rate among developed countries. The report says that as many 1 in 6 Americans live in a state of sustained hunger or food insecurity, defined as not having adequate access to food to keep them healthy. See the 2016 Hunger Report.