Costs And Spending

Health care costs and spending in the US continues to grow at an unsustainable rate. Increased health care costs and spending contribute to the lack of affordable health care and create gaps in access to care in turn creating health disparities. On the global health level, OECD countries’ health care costs and spending increased through time but represent a lower percentage of their GDP compared of the US. Health care costs and spending have also increased in lower- and middle-income countries and are creating financial pressure by increasing out-of-pocket spending. Different countries are taking different measures to mitigate the rising costs and spending on health care while trying to increase the access and quality of care.

On this page, you will find content from Health Affairs covering the topic of health care costs and spending and related areas such as government programs and policies, health care finance, insurance coverage and benefits, and systems of care.

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