"Spending for health care in the U.S. is highly concentrated among a small subset of Americans. Just 5 percent of the population accounted for nearly half of all health care spending in 2009. Understanding these high-spenders is vital for developing strategies to reduce overall spending growth. [This data brief describes] the characteristics and health conditions of the highest spenders, the persistence of high spending patterns over time, the challenges in targeting the most expensive cases for better care management, and the implications of concentrated spending for risk-based payment and insurance market reform."

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