Health Sector Trend Report, March 2017
Trend Reports | March 31, 2017
Advance QSS data for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2016 were released in February 2017 and are reflected in this expanded report, which examines current trends in U.S. health care spending, prices, utilization, and employment.
Highlights include:
- Latest HSEI data put health spending growth at 5.5% for Q4 2016 and 5.2% for all of 2016.
- Growth in health care prices averaged 1.7% for 2016, pushed up by rapid growth in prices of prescription drugs (4.8%) and held down by slow growth in health care services (1.2%).
- Growth rates in the utilization of health care services increased, as expected, in response to coverage expansion. As expansion stabilizes, utilization growth rates should return to pre-expanded coverage levels.
- Health job growth averaged 2.5% in 2015 and 2016 but looks to be slowing in 2017.
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.
Advance QSS data for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2016 were released in February 2017 and are reflected in this expanded report, which examines current trends in U.S. health care spending, prices, utilization, and employment.
Highlights include:
- Latest HSEI data put health spending growth at 5.5% for Q4 2016 and 5.2% for all of 2016.
- Growth in health care prices averaged 1.7% for 2016, pushed up by rapid growth in prices of prescription drugs (4.8%) and held down by slow growth in health care services (1.2%).
- Growth rates in the utilization of health care services increased, as expected, in response to coverage expansion. As expansion stabilizes, utilization growth rates should return to pre-expanded coverage levels.
- Health job growth averaged 2.5% in 2015 and 2016 but looks to be slowing in 2017.
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.