Health Sector Trend Report, July 2017

In this July 2017 report, spending estimates are available though May 2017, while prices and labor are available through June 2017. 

Following are highlights from this month's report:

• Estimates for the first 2 months of Q2 2017 (April & May) put health spending growth at 4.5% year over year, compared to 5.2% for Q1 2017 and 5.2% for all of 2016. Estimates for the full Q2 2017 will be presented next month with the release of Advance QSS data.
• Health care price growth averaged 1.6% in Q2 2017, down from 2.0% in Q1. 
• Year to date, 2017 health care price growth is 1.8%, slightly below the 1.9% growth in economy-wide inflation as measured by the GDP deflator.
• Health care job growth spiked unexpectedly to 37,000 new jobs in June, but monthly growth in 2017 remains well below that of the previous 2 years.

Download the full report to view additional detail and analysis.

About Altarum's Health Sector Trend Reports

With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Altarum provides analysis of key trends in health care spending, prices, utilization, and employment. These reports make direct use of the Quarterly Services Survey (QSS), the timeliest source of detailed, survey-based spending information for health care services, which account for more than 70% of national health spending.

These trend reports are related to, but distinct from, Altarum's Health Sector Economic Indicators briefs, and were published monthly prior to Q1 2018.

In this July 2017 report, spending estimates are available though May 2017, while prices and labor are available through June 2017. 

Following are highlights from this month's report:

• Estimates for the first 2 months of Q2 2017 (April & May) put health spending growth at 4.5% year over year, compared to 5.2% for Q1 2017 and 5.2% for all of 2016. Estimates for the full Q2 2017 will be presented next month with the release of Advance QSS data.
• Health care price growth averaged 1.6% in Q2 2017, down from 2.0% in Q1. 
• Year to date, 2017 health care price growth is 1.8%, slightly below the 1.9% growth in economy-wide inflation as measured by the GDP deflator.
• Health care job growth spiked unexpectedly to 37,000 new jobs in June, but monthly growth in 2017 remains well below that of the previous 2 years.

Download the full report to view additional detail and analysis.

About Altarum's Health Sector Trend Reports

With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Altarum provides analysis of key trends in health care spending, prices, utilization, and employment. These reports make direct use of the Quarterly Services Survey (QSS), the timeliest source of detailed, survey-based spending information for health care services, which account for more than 70% of national health spending.

These trend reports are related to, but distinct from, Altarum's Health Sector Economic Indicators briefs, and were published monthly prior to Q1 2018.