Aging Population, High Prices Will Continue Fueling Rise In Health Care Spending Levels
Prescription drugs account for the fastest increase -- 6.3 percent a year on average -- due to the high cost of advanced medications.
The Associated Press:
Gov't Says Health Costs To Keep Growing Faster Than Economy
U.S. health care spending will keep growing faster than the overall economy in the foreseeable future, squeezing public insurance programs and employers who provide coverage, the government said Wednesday. Annual projections from number crunchers at the Department of Health and Human Services cite an aging population and an uptick in prices for health care services and goods as factors behind the ongoing growth in costs. (2/14)
Los Angeles Times:
U.S. Healthcare Tab To Keep Rising, Led By Higher Costs For Drugs And Services, Government Report Says
"High and rising costs expose two often overlooked problems," Harvard economist David Cutler noted in an article accompanying the new spending projections, published in the journal Health Affairs. "First, spending is too high because many dollars are wasted. … Second, high medical costs combined with stagnant incomes for a large share of the population and the inability of governments at all levels to raise tax dollars leads to increased health and economic disparities," Cutler wrote. (Levey, 2/14)