After showing signs of leveling off, health care costs have continued to rise at a rate of 8.2%, according to a new analysis by the Center for Studying Health System Change. That's a slight improvement over 2003, when they rose at a rate of 8.4%. The study, which appears in the journal Health Affairs today, concludes that the trend will probably lead to more Americans joining the ranks of the uninsured. The report also notes that the trend towards expensive outpatient procedures, where spending grew at a rate of 11.3 % in 2004, is a major factor in escalating costs.
- see this story from the Washington Post