CMS Releases 2015 National Health Expenditures
In 2015, per-capita health care spending grew by 5.0 percent and overall health spending grew by 5.8 percent, according to a study by the
The report concludes that 2015 expenditure growth was primarily the result of increased use and intensity of services as millions gained health coverage, as well as continued significant growth in spending for retail prescription drugs. Spending on prescription drugs increased 9.0 percent in 2015, lower than the 12.4 percent growth in 2014, yet significantly higher compared to 2.3 percent growth in 2013. On a per-enrollee basis, overall spending increased by 4.5 percent for private health insurance, 1.7 percent for
"Our significant progress in reducing the nation's uninsured rate, while providing strong protections for Americans if they get sick, would not be possible without the Affordable Care Act," said CMS Acting Administrator
The report noted that over a two-year period, 20.0 million individuals either gained private health insurance coverage or enrolled in the
Health care spending grew 2.1 percentage points faster than the overall economy in 2015, resulting in a 0.4 percentage-point increase in the health spending share of gross domestic product (GDP) - from 17.4 percent in 2014 to 17.8 percent in 2015. In the decade prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (2000-2009), health care spending increased 2.8 percentage points faster than GDP, on an annual average basis.
Additional highlights from the report:
* Total per-enrollee private health insurance spending increased by 4.5 percent in 2015, compared to average growth in per-enrollee spending of 7.4 percent during 2000-2009. Overall, private health insurance expenditures (33 percent of total health care spending) reached
* Per-enrollee
* Overall Medicaid spending and enrollment grew at a slower rate in 2015 than in 2014 with per-enrollee
* Out-of-pocket spending (
* Retail prescription drug spending continued to outpace overall health expenditure growth in 2015, increasing 9.0 percent to
* In 2015, the federal government and households accounted for the largest shares of spending (29 percent and 28 percent respectively), followed by private businesses (20 percent), and state and local governments (17 percent).
An article about the study is also being published by Health Affairs as a Web First (http://content.healthaffairs.org/lookup/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.1330) and will also appear in the journal's January issue.
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