CMS Releases 1991-2014 Health Care Spending by State

Jun 25, 2017 at 04:24 pm by Staff


The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Office of the Actuary (OACT) released state-level health care spending data for the period 1991-2014. The data shows that while most states experienced faster growth in 2014 due to Medicaid expansion and enrollment in Exchange plans, per capita health spending in Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states grew at similar rates. The report also found that the most recent economic recession, which ended in 2009, and modest recovery since then, had a sustained impact on health spending and health insurance coverage. Every state experienced slower growth in per capita personal health care spending from 2010-2013 than experienced during the period 2004-2009.

David Lassman, the lead author of the report noted that, "recent economic and health sector factors have had clear impacts by state, both by payer and in the rates of overall per capita personal health care expenditure growth; however, during the 2009 to 2014 period, the variation in spending between the lowest and highest states was virtually unchanged."

The report, published as a web first in Health Affairs, offers vital context for understanding how health spending varies across states. The analysis updates previous estimates published in 2011 and examines personal health care spending (or the health care goods and services consumed) through a resident-based view. These estimates are also presented both by type of goods and services (such as hospital services and retail prescription drugs) and by major payer (including Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance) for the individuals who reside in a state.

The topline findings from the report include:

The OACT data and analysis will appear at: https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/NationalHealthAccountsStateHealthAccountsResidence.html

An article about the study also being published by Health Affairs here: http://content.healthaffairs.org/lookup/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0416

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