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Sustainable U.S. Health Spending in the Next Administration: Symposium Summary

"On July 12, 2016 the Altarum Institute Center for Sustainable Health Spending (CSHS) held its annual symposium in Washington, DC. It was the sixth such meeting organized by CSHS, and the fifth year supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This blog highlights themes from each of [the] presenters. The full monograph, and complete video of the event are available[.]"

Consumer-Directed Health Plans: One Observer's Perspective on One Employer's Experience

"Altarum's total costs per employee increased by 5.6% between 2011 and 2012 ... The estimated cost increase would have been approximately 6.5% for an indemnity plan.... [T]he price tools are at times helpful but frequently cumbersome and provide only partial information. The quality comparison tools are of little or no value, though that can vary by geographic region. Determining whether a service is covered and the expected copay or deductible remains a challenge just as before."

Towards a Solution for Medical Price Transparency

"According to a recent report published by the Altarum Institute, less than one third of patients asked about the price of a treatment before receiving it, and few believe that they can 'shop around' different providers.... Perhaps a solution in the healthcare arena would be to institute binding arbitration in cases where providers refuse to agree on prices before providing service. And perhaps the binding arbitration could be based on the fee the patient offered to pay upfront, but declined by the provider in favor of bureaucratic claims processing."

State Health Spending Trends, 2019-2022 (PDF)

11 pages. "In 2022, per-capita spending on personal health care varied significantly across states. Spending was highest in the District of Columbia, at $15,526. This was more than 90% higher than in Utah, which was the lowest spending state at $8,076.... For personal health care overall, nationwide per-capita spending was $10,714, while the ten highest spending states averaged $13,717, 50% higher than the $9,074 average spending by the ten lowest spending states. "

Utilization and Price Drivers of Increasing Health Care Spending, 2010-2023

"Following the 2022 slowdown in health care spending that led to the overall health care sector reaching its smallest share of the economy since 2014 (17.3%), there has been a gradual resurgence in health care spending beginning in early 2023.... [In this article, the authors] put 2023's above-average health care utilization increases into perspective historically and break down utilization trends by the different major health care spending categories."

New Alzheimer's Drug Is Projected to Increase National Health Expenditures by More Than One Percent

"[P]rojections suggest that, by the mid-2020s, Aduhelm will constitute more than 1% of all national health spending, increasing non-retail drug spending by more than 25% and increasing total prescription drug spending by more than 8%.... The limited evidence for the efficacy of Aduhelm raises the question of whether its large impact on health spending is justified."

More Work Needed to Shift Health Care Spending from Low-Value to High-Value Care

"[S]pending growth on the five frequently-cited, low-value services remained mostly flat (slower than the growth in total health care spending). Meanwhile, spending on the high-value services increased only moderately, with spending on three of the analyzed services ... growing faster than total health care spending. Though this is moving in the right direction, there is much more work to be done."

Rising Deductibles Are Not Yet a Financial Burden, but Early Evidence Shows an Impact on Access to Care

"After remaining mostly flat since 1984, the average share of household after-tax income spent on premiums and out-of-pocket expenditures increased from 5.15% in 2009 to 7.18% in 2015 (a relative increase of 39%) ... [B]etween 2009 and 2015 the average family spent $1,216 more on health care, while take-home pay actually fell by $305."

Seven Things Business Leaders Should Know (and Do) About Health Care

"[1] Our nation can and must broaden our definition of health and health care because our population is changing.... [2] We don't have a free market in health care -- and now is the time for the public and private sector to work together.... [3] The effect of retail health care on consumers.... [4] You are going to hear all about new care models for your employees that may or may not be better -- the devil is in the details.... [5] Consolidation is all the rage.... [6] Pharma will continue to reign as king -- you should be at the table.... [7] The Internet and data are changing how consumers access and use health care, with huge potential -- embrace it."

Health Spending Growth Slowed to 4.9% in December, Still 5.9% for 2015 Overall

"Preliminary estimates show health spending grew only 4.9% in December 2015 compared to December 2014, continuing a steady decline from a peak of 6.8% in February 2015. Spending on hospitals and prescription drugs, each of which is growing at less than half the rate observed in February, led the decline.... Health care prices in December 2015 were 1.2% higher than in December 2014, up from 1.1% in November, exhibiting an upward trend from its all-time low [growth] rate of 0.9% in September 2015."