The California HealthCare Foundation has released its annual Health Care Costs 101 "Snapshot," an easy-to-use visual reference tool for journalists, policy leaders, or others interested in national and California health care spending trends. The snapshot, plus an addendum on California spending trends between 1980 and 1998 and a quick reference guide, are available via the link below. Findings included in the 2005 update include:

• Growth in health care spending slowed for the first time in seven years, but still outpaces inflation and wage growth;
• Health spending reached $1.7 trillion in 2003;
• Health care spending is 15.3% of the Gross Domestic Product;
• Spending on health care per capita increased 69% between 1993 and 2003; and
• In the last 20 years, spending on prescription drugs has more than doubled.

Taken from several public and private data sources, the analysis includes details on:

• National health spending by share of gross domestic product;
• Per capita health costs nationwide;
• Spending distribution by health care categories;
• Who pays for health care;
• Historic payment sources (federal, state, and private);
• Spending allocations on health services and supplies;
• Trends on annual health care and health insurance premium growth rates; and
• Prescription drug sources of payment trends.

Recent editions of the snapshot are available through the Related Link below.