Increased utilization and higher fees per treatment accounts for increase in health care spending from 1987 to 2009

The May 2013 issue of Health Affairs examines the costs associated with health care and public health practice, and includes a report by Dr. Kenneth E. Thorpe, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Rollins School of Public Health, examining increased health care spending that occurred between 1987 and 2009 in the United States. Using nearly two decades of data from the National Medical Expenditure Surveys, Dr. Thorpe found that the overall increase in health care spending was predominately due to the increased proportion of people seeking care for specific medical conditions, in addition to cost increases for those services during the study period.  Specifically, 50.8% of the overall increase in health care spending among adults and 77% among Medicare recipients was due to increased utilization of services. Other key factors leading to increased health care costs identified by Dr. Thorpe include the doubling of obesity and increase in treatment intensity. These findings highlight the pivotal role that disease prevention, particularly through behavior modifications, can play in curbing health care spending.

To learn more about the article, see this review from the Emory News Center or read the full article in the May 2013 issue of Health Affairs.

For further information about how the Affordable Care Act will change the United States health care system, watch this interview with Dr. Thorpe.