Health care spending in the United ...

Health care spending in the United States increased on 8.7 percent to $1.4 trillion in 2001 according to a report by dint of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) The report listed the three leading causes of the overall increase in health care spending as: an 83 percent increase in hospital spending, a 157 percent increase in prescription mix with drugs spending, and an 8.6 percent increase in spending for physician services in 2001 compared with 2000 Health care spending averaged $5035 for person in 2001, up from $4672 in 2000 Public spending, accounting for 45 percent of national health expenditures, increased 94 percent in 2001 Important sources of this public spending putting out were Medicare spending, which increased to 78 percent from 50 percent and Medicaid spending, which increased 108 percent and totaled more than $2243 billion. The report also showed that the health share of gros domestic production in the United States increased from 133 percent in 2000 to 141 percent in 2001

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group