Health Care Costs - California Health Care Foundation

Health Care Costs
Rising health care costs remain a major challenge in California and across the nation. CHCF's work sheds light on trends in state and national health care spending as well as on the affordability of health care for consumers to spur dialogue and action around policy solutions.

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The Sky’s the Limit

Richard M. Scheffler, Daniel R. Arnold, Brent D. Fulton

Health Care Costs

California pays significantly more for common health care services than the rest of the country, and the gap has been widening. A critical factor in the fast growth of prices is market concentration — including hospital consolidation and physician integration — which has been proliferating in the state. The Sky’s the Limit: Health Care Prices and Market Consolidation in California looks at the data and the policies that can be considered to address this serious concern.

2019 Edition — Health Care Costs 101

Katherine Wilson

Health Care Costs, Payment & Financing

National health spending grew by 3.9% in 2017, slower than the 4.8% growth in 2016. This Almanac report, Health Care Costs 101: Spending Keeps Growing, details how much is spent on health care in the US, which services are purchased, and who pays.

2018 Edition — Health Care Costs 101

Katherine Wilson

Health Care Costs, Payment & Financing

US health spending reached $3.3 trillion in 2016, and is expected to grow faster than the economy over the next decade. This Almanac report, Health Care Costs 101: A Continuing Economic Threat, details how much is spent on health care in the US, which services are purchased, and who pays.

Infographic — US Health Care Spending: Who Pays?

Health Care Costs, Payment & Financing

Over the past 57 years, the way health care is financed has changed, with public insurance paying for more care. This graphic shows who paid for health care and how much it cost.

California Cost & Quality Atlas Helps Map Path to Higher-Value Care

Jeffrey Rideout

Health Care Costs

When it comes to health care services, geographic differences in cost and quality are neither expected nor valued — and now researchers are compiling and sharing data that could help reduce disparities.

California Health Care Spending

Katherine Wilson

Health Care Costs, Payment & Financing

Health spending in California totaled $292 billion in 2014, which is 12.6% of the state's economy. See California's health care spending numbers for private health insurance, Medi-Cal, and Medicare.

Uncompensated Hospital Care Costs Sink to Record Low in California

February 20, 2017

Providers, Health Care Costs, Payment & Financing

As California's uninsured rate plummeted during the first two years of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), uncompensated care costs for California's hospitals followed suit, declining 52% from $3.1 billion in 2013 to $1.5 billion in 2015. This progress may be in peril, however, if efforts to repeal and replace the ACA are successful and the uninsured population increases.

Health Spending Projections: 2015–2025

Payment & Financing, Health Care Costs

National health spending will reach $5.6 trillion by 2025. Get the data on payers, per enrollee costs, payment sources, and spending on types of services.