Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

U.S. health spending in 2015 rose at fastest rate since 2007

Reuters: U.S. health spending in 2015 rose at its fastest rate since 2007, driven by expanded access to insurance under the Affordable Care Act and high-priced specialty drugs, according to government figures released on Friday.

Growth rose 5.8 percent to $3.2 trillion, or $9,990 per person, according to federal data published in the independent journal Health Affairs and compiled into a report by officials with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

After five years of historically low growth between 2009 and 2013, spending picked up in 2014 and 2015 as the Affordable Care Act - sometimes referred to as Obamacare - expanded health insurance coverage through marketplace insurance plans and Medicaid, the report said.

Read article