US national health spending growth remains low for 4th consecutive year

Overall national health expenditures in the USA grew at an annual rate of 3.7% in 2012, marking the fourth consecutive year of low growth, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary reported this week.

Health spending as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) fell slightly from 17.3% in 2011 to 17.2 % in 2012. The entire report is being published on the CMS National Health Expenditures web site.

“For the second straight year, we have seen overall health care costs grow slower than the economy as a whole. This is good news,” said CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, adding: “We will continue to work with tools given to us by the Affordable Care Act that will both help us control costs for taxpayers and consumers while increasing the quality of care.”