April 2015 Health Sector Economic Indicators Briefs

National health spending grew by 5.2% in 2014, and preliminary estimates show 6.6% growth in February 2015 compared to February 2014. Health care prices in February 2015 were 1.4% higher than in February 2014, barely above the January year-over-year change of 1.2%. The February 2015 12-month moving average held at 1.5%. And the health sector added 22,000 jobs in March 2015, close to the 24-month average but below the 12-month average gain of about 30,000. Hospitals added 8,000 jobs in March and are averaging 10,000 new jobs per month in the first quarter of 2015.