The latest national health data show the healthcare crisis we are in.
About The Podcast:
Millions of Americans feel confused and frustrated in their search for quality healthcare coverage.
Between out-of-control costs, countless inefficiencies, a lack of affordable universal access, and little focus on wellness and prevention, the system is clearly in dire need of change.
Hosted by healthcare policy and technology expert Marc S. Ryan, the Healthcare Labyrinth Podcast offers accessible, incisive deep dives on the most pressing issues and events in American healthcare.
Marc seeks to help Americans become wiser consumers and navigate the healthcare maze with more confidence and certainty through The Healthcare Labyrinth website and his book of the same name.
Marc is an unconventional Republican who believes that affordable universal access is a wise and prudent investment. He recommends common-sense solutions to reform American healthcare.
Tune in every week as Marc examines the latest developments in space, offering analysis, insights, and predictions on the changing state of healthcare in America.
About The Episode:
In this episode, the latest national health data show the healthcare crisis we are in. Reform is desperately needed.
Key Takeaways:
The latest National Health Expenditure Data from the CMS Office of the Actuary once again confirms what many of us in healthcare already know — the system is growing faster than the economy can sustain.
Healthcare spending is estimated to be about $5.7 trillion in 2025, up 7.3% from about $5.3 trillion in 2024. This is the third year of 7% annual hikes.
The CMS Actuary now projects healthcare spending will approach $9 trillion by 2034. And healthcare spending is expected to represent 20.6% of gross domestic product (GDP).
The actuary projects average healthcare spending growth of about 5.4% annually.
The actuary projects real per capita healthcare spending growth of approximately 2.8% annually. That is about 0.9 percentage points higher than projected GDP growth.
The biggest driver is expected to be prescription drugs. Retail prescription drug spending is projected to grow approximately 5.7% annually from 2025 through 2034.
Administrative expense will also rise considerably.
Due to the affordability crisis, by 2034 the uninsured rate is expected to rise from 8.2% to approximately 9.5%.
The National Health Expenditure data is not just a collection of statistics. It is a warning.
We badly need healthcare reform – price reform, care management, and affordable universal access.
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Resources:
The Healthcare Labyrinth: A Guide to Navigating Health Plans and Fixing American Health Insurance
