October 2015 Health Sector Economic Indicators Briefs

National health spending in August 2015 was 5.7% higher than in August 2014. Prescription drug spending grew the fastest of the major categories at 9.2% year over year, though down from its multi-year high of 14.6% in December 2014. Health care prices in August 2015 were 1.2% higher than in August 2014, breaking a string of 1.1% readings. Even with this slight acceleration, prices are growing only two tenths above the decade-plus low of 1.0% growth registered in August 2013. The health sector added a strong 34,400 new jobs in September, with minimal revisions to July and August. Hospitals continued robust hiring, adding 15,500 jobs in August, and have added 124,000 jobs so far in 2015, 54,000 in the third quarter alone.