Economics
U.S. Health-Care Spending Probably Jumped 5 Percent in 2014
An analysis of new federal data indicates that five years of slow growth is ending
A registered nurse in an emergency room in Orem, Utah.
Photographer: George Frey/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
American health-care spending likely snapped a five-year streak of historically slow growth last year, according to an analysis of new federal data by private economists at the Altarum Institute.
The nation’s nearly $3 trillion medical bill grew 5 percent last year, compared with an average annual rate of 3.9 percent from 2009 to 2013, estimates Charles Roehrig, director of the nonprofit institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending.