​CMS Office of the Actuary Releases 2019 National Health Expenditures

​Total national healthcare spending in 2019 grew 4.6%, which was similar to the 4.7% growth in 2018 and the average annual growth since 2016 of 4.5%, according to a study conducted by the Office of the Actuary at CMS and published recently in the journal Health Affairs. This report includes health expenditure data though 2019 and therefore does not include any of the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on health care spending.

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Spending for personal health care, which includes health care goods and services, accounted for 84% of total health care spending in 2019 and increased 5.2%, a faster rate than the 4.1% it increased in 2018.  The faster growth in personal health care spending was driven largely by growth for hospital care, retail prescription drugs, and physician and clinical services.

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