U.S. Health Spending Rose Faster Than Expected in 2015
December 02 2016 - 2:40PM
Dow Jones News
WASHINGTON—U.S. health spending grew faster than expected in
2015 as consumers recovered from the economic downturn and the
Affordable Care Act's coverage provisions took hold, according to
federal statistics released Friday.
National health expenditures grew at a rate of 5.8% over the
year, more than the 5.5% estimated by the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services in future spending projections offered this
summer.
The trajectory of health spending is closely watched because of
its significance in the U.S. economy. Health spending accounted for
17.8 % of the nation's gross domestic product in 2015, the CMS data
said, up from 17.4% in 2014. The findings were published in the
journal Health Affairs.
Write to Louise Radnofsky at louise.radnofsky@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 02, 2016 14:25 ET (19:25 GMT)
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