Tracking Health Care Costs: Trends Turn Downward In 2003
- 1 January 2004
- journal article
- Published by Health Affairs (Project Hope) in Health Affairs
- Vol. 23 (Suppl1) , W4-354
- https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.w4.354
Abstract
Health care spending per privately insured person increased 7.4 percent in 2003. While lower than the 2002 increase, it still outpaced growth in the overall economy by a margin that exceeds the historical average. The trend for drug spending decelerated the most. Meanwhile, hospital spending grew 9 percent in 2003-1.8 percentage points less than the 2002 increase. This reflected a sharp deceleration in growth of hospital use, while growth in hospital prices accelerated for the sixth year in a row. The trend for health insurance premiums fell in 2004. Employers raised patient cost sharing for the third year in a row.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Health Benefits In 2003: Premiums Reach Thirteen-Year High As Employers Adopt New Forms Of Cost SharingHealth Affairs, 2003
- The Changing Face Of Managed CareHealth Affairs, 2002