U.S. healthcare spending experienced historically low rates of growth in 2009 and 2010, according to the annual report of national health expenditures (NHE) published in the January issue of Health Affairs.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reports in the article that U.S. healthcare spending grew only 3.9% in 2010, reaching $2.6 trillion or $8,402 per person, just 0.1% point faster than in 2009.
Medicare spending grew 5% in 2010, a deceleration from growth of 7% in 2009. Medicaid spending increased 7.2% in 2010, slowing from 8.9% growth in 2009.
Physician and clinical services spending, which accounted for 20% of total healthcare spending, grew 2.5% to reach $515.5 billion in 2010, slowing from 3.3% growth in 2009.
In 2010, as healthcare spending growth remained low, growth in the U.S. economy as reflected by gross domestic product (GDP) rebounded; as such, in 2010, healthcare's share of the overall U.S. economy was unchanged at 17.9%. In the past, this share has increased, rising over time from 5.2% in 1960.
The NHE report, prepared annually by CMS' Office of the Actuary, summarizes recent trends in healthcare spending based on the most current data sources.
