Here are five recent findings regarding health spending in the United States, according to an April 2015 spending brief by the Altarum Institute.
• National health spending grew by 5.2 percent in 2014.
• In February 2015, national health spending was 6.6 percent higher than health spending in February 2014.
• The health spending share of the growth domestic product was 17.9 percent in January, and this is up from 16 percent at the start of the recession in December 2007.
• This increase is partly attributable to slow GDP growth rather than high health spending growth.
• Spending in February 2015, year over year, increased in all major categories — prescription drugs grew the fastest, by 10.5 percent.