Covid-19 Response Pushed U.S. Health Spending Past $4 Trillion
- Nation’s health-care bill increased at fastest pace since 2002
- Spending spiked even though many people put off medical care
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The U.S. government’s response to Covid-19 pushed up the country’s total health spending to $4.1 trillion last year, a 9.7% increase that was the biggest in almost two decades.
National health expenditures jumped in 2020 by the most since 2002 even as many Americans deferred addressing their own medical needs during the pandemic, according to actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who tally spending by government, businesses and households each year.