Report: U.S. health care usage down; but costs up 3.4 percent in 2014
BUSINESS RECORD STAFF Oct 30, 2015 | 3:41 pm
1 min read time
340 wordsAll Latest News, Health and WellnessSpending on health care by employer-sponsored insurance plans increased 3.4 percent, despite a trend toward lower usage of health care services by employees, according to a new report from the Health Care Cost Institute.
Spending grew at a steady rate over the past five years, increasing 3.4 percent in 2014, according to the report. Over the five-year study period, per capita spending growth was relatively steady, rising between 3 and 4 percent each year. In 2014, health care spending averaged $4,967 per person, up $163 (3.4 percent) from the year before. Out-of-pocket spending grew 2.2 percent to $810.
Spending is influenced by both usage and prices. In recent years, usage of health care services has been declining, while the average prices have been rising. In 2014, the largest decline in use was for acute admissions, which decreased by one admission per 1,000 individuals, or 2.7 percent. The smallest decline in use was for outpatient visits, which fell by three visits per 1,000 individuals, or 0.9 percent
Other highlights:
- Prices increased for all services: The smallest average price increase was for professional services (3.1 percent), an increase of $3 per service. The largest average price increase was for acute inpatient admissions (4.6 percent), an increase of $831 per admission.
- Out-of-pocket spending decreased for some services: Spending out of pocket on acute inpatient admissions and on brand-name and generic prescriptions decreased by $14 per capita in 2014 compared with the previous year, while spending out of pocket on outpatient and professional services increased by a total of $31 per capita in 2014.
- Women spent more out of pocket each year: Every year between 2010 and 2014, out-of-pocket spending was higher by women than by men. This difference grew every year, reaching $237 in 2014.
- Gap in spending between young and old increasing: The difference in spending between the oldest and youngest age groups studied increased every year studied: from $6,281 in 2010 to $6,806 in 2014. In 2014, spending was $2,660 for children ages 0-18 and $9,466 for pre-Medicare adults, ages 55-64.
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