July 2015 Health Sector Economic Indicators Briefs

The health sector continued its strong job growth in June with the addition of 40,100 new jobs. Health job growth doubled between 2013 and 2014 (13,000 versus 26,000 jobs per month) and is nearly three times as high in the first half of 2015 (38,000 per month) than it was in 2013. National health spending in May 2015 was 5.9% higher than in May 2014, moderating from a more-than-8-year peak growth rate of 6.8% in March 2015. Health care prices in May 2015 were 1.1% higher than in May 2014, only a tenth above the decade-plus low of 1.0% growth registered in August 2013.