title: National health spending in 2004: recent slowdown led by prescription drug spending.
abstract: U.S. health care spending rose 7.9 percent to $1.9 trillion in 2004, or $6,280 per person. Health spending accounted for 16 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), nearly the same as in 2003. The pace of health spending growth has slowed, compared with the 2000-2002 period, for both public and private payers. Hospital spending accounted for 30 percent of the aggregate increase between 2002 and 2004, and prescription drugs accounted for an 11 percent share-smaller than its share of the increase in recent years and much slower in absolute terms.
authors.affiliation: Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in Baltimore, MD, USA. Dnhs@cms.hhs.gov
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cowan
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heffler
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Catlin
mesh_terms: D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000639:trends*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations