U.S. health spending tops $2.2 trillion

A Medicare pay freeze and imaging fee cuts in 2007 helped constrain the rise in spending on physician services.

By Doug Trapp, AMNews staff. Posted Jan. 19, 2009.

---

Washington -- National health spending in 2007 grew at its slowest pace since 1998, largely due to a sharp slowdown in the growth in spending on prescription drugs, according to federal actuaries. Growth in spending on physician services slowed slightly.

Overall health spending increased by only 6.1% in 2007 to reach $2.24 trillion, according to the annual Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report, published in the January/February issue of Health Affairs. Health expenditures last dipped below the 6% growth mark in 1998./.../