Health Care Spending Growth Hits Record Low

Since 2010, National Health Expenditures (NHE) have grown at an average annual rate of 3.8%. This represents the lowest rate on record for any four-year period and is less than half of the average annual growth rate of 9.3% over the same timeframe. A key driver of this trend is the low rate of health care price inflation, for hospitals just 2.0% in 2013. Hospitals represent about a third of NHE.