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January 10, 2007
USA Healthcare Costs Now 16% of GDP

U.S. Health Spending Estimates:

Health care spending growth in the United States slowed for the third consecutive year in 2005, increasing 6.9 percent compared to 7.2 percent growth in 2004 and 8.1 percent in 2003, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services (CMS) reported today.

The 6.9 percent growth in 2005 marks the slowest rate of growth in health spending since 1999, when growth was 6.2 percent. Health care spending reached almost $2.0 trillion in 2005, or $6,697 per person, up from $6,322 per person in 2004.

So the rate at which healthcare spending continues to increase is decreasing. That is better than increasing at an increasing rate. However, it is already a huge drag on the economy and the need is for the expenditures to actually decrease (not slow down the rate of increase) and for performance to improve. There are good things being done but much more is needed. Health care costs are a huge cost for companies.

Health Care Spending in the United States and OECD Countries

This growing gap between health spending in the U.S. and that of other developed countries may encourage policymakers to look more closely at what people in the U.S. are getting for their far higher and faster growing spending on health care.

Related: USA Health Care Costs reach 15.3% of GDP – the highest percentage ever (2 years ago)Health care spending rose at twice the rate of inflation in ‘05Health Care Costs Approach $2 TrillionExcessive Health Care Costs article directoryBill takes on prescription costs

7 Responses to “USA Healthcare Costs Now 16% of GDP”

  1. Newt on Management History Says:

    [...] Health care does seem to finally be getting some serious political consideration. Finally people are realizing excessive medical costs are a deadly disease afflicting the American economy, as Dr. Deming put it. [...]

  2. Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » Antibiotics Too Often Prescribed for Sinus Woes Says:

    [...] to patients even if it means going against what is the best medical advice. Is it any wonder that helath costs continue to escalate, now totaling 16% of GDP, with such practices accepted? How hard is it to say, yeah great you want x drug, that is not [...]

  3. Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog » Held Hostage By Health Care Says:

    This is one of the many problems with the existing health care system in the USA. That system now costs 16% of USA GDP – the highest cost anywhere…

  4. CuriousCat: Fixing Health Care - Andy Grove Says:

    Intel’s “Grove sees a major breakdown in a system that leaves nearly 50 million Americans uninsured and emergency rooms closing down in droves…”

  5. CuriousCat: USA Paying More for Health Care Says:

    Decades ago W. Edwards Deming targeted high health care costs as a deadly disease of the US economy decades ago and the problem has just gotten worse almost every single year since…

  6. Curious Cat » USA Spent $2.1 Trillion on Health Care in 2006 Says:

    Health care spending reached a total of $2.1 trillion, or $7,026 per person in 2006, up from $6,649 per person in 2005…

  7. Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog » Measuring the Health of Nations Says:

    [...] It might seem like a stretch to compare the lowest ranked country to the average of the top 3, but, for all those that feel the USA is the best health care system it raises the questions of why they don’t think 100,000 annual deaths is a significant enough problem to lower their opinion of the current system. And remember the USA system costs something like twice as much as the average system: up to 16% of GNP in 2006. [...]

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