Healthcare spending increased at highest rate since 2007

National healthcare spending increased by 5.8% in 2015, the highest single-year growth since 2007, according to a recent American Medical Association (AMA) Policy Research Perspective report based on CMS data. This translates to the United States spending $3.2 trillion on healthcare in 2015, which is the most recent year for which data is available.

In 2007, healthcare spending jumped 6.5%. Spending increased 5.3% in 2014 and an average of 3.7% annually from 2008–2013. The report attributed the 2015 spending increase to healthcare coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

Of the $3.2 trillion the United States spent on healthcare in 2015, hospital care accounted for 32% of spending while physician services accounted for 15% and prescription drug spending accounted for 10% of total spending, according to the AMA report. Healthcare spending also includes clinical services, nursing care facilities, home health care, personal healthcare costs, government administration, net cost of health insurance, investment spending, and government public health activities.

For more information, see the AMA wire.