The cost of health care should be affordable to American families and businesses. Families must be able to meet the expenses of the care they need and the cost of health care to American employers and governments must be controlled. That means that care needs to be produced efficiently, without waste or unnecessary cost. This dashboard describes trends in the costs of care for treating specific prevalent conditions. It tracks the burden of health care costs on businesses and governments and the extent to which Americans can afford needed care. Finally, it reports on trends in the efficiency of care delivery and the competitiveness of the delivery system, key factors in keeping costs down. The national summary data for the measures that comprise this dashboard are presented below.
Premium costs for employer-sponsored health insurance are a measure of the affordability of health insurance for individuals and businesses.
The cost of treatment for specific conditions provides a consistent metric of changes in expenditures.
Description: There was substantial consolidation in the hospital industry during the 1980s and 1990s, which slowed in the 2000s. Some research evidence shows that providers in more concentrated markets charge higher prices to private payers.
Postponing or not getting needed medical care due to cost is a measure of the affordability of care that has been monitored by HHS for many years.
Hospital readmissions are costly, and some can be prevented through care coordination and appropriate follow-up care outside the hospital.
Hospital readmissions are costly, and some can be prevented through care coordination and appropriate follow-up care outside the hospital.
Personal health expenditures per capita, Medicare expenditures per beneficiary, and Medicaid expenditures per beneficiary are measures of the cost of healthcare in the United States.