Health Care Spending Growth Rate Remains Low for Third Consecutive Year

National health care spending increased 3.9 percent in 2011 over the previous year, the same as in 2010 and up slightly from 3.8 percent in 2009—levels that are the lowest in the 52 years that federal actuaries have tracked such growth rates. Read more »

Commonwealth Fund Releases Its Recommendations for Reducing Health Care Spending

The federal government could save $1 trillion over a decade through a series of actions limiting health care spending, according to a report recently released by a 16-member commission organized by The Commonwealth Fund. Read more »

IOM: Americans of All Stripes in Worse Health Than Peers Abroad

Americans die sooner and have higher rates of disease and injury than citizens of many other high-income countries, a new Institute of Medicine report says. Read more »

HHS Report: Medicare Per Capita Spending Barely Grew in 2012

In what could give new leverage to those who want to avoid deep Medicare cuts as part of any deficit package later this year, the Obama administration released a report last week showing that per capita spending growth in the program increased by just 0.4 percent in fiscal 2012. Read more »

ACOs Continue to be Popular, Latest HHS Report Shows

The coordinated care model envisioned in the health care law continues to gain popularity as Health and Human Services officials announced last week that 106 more Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) have been formed, bringing to as many as 4 million the number of beneficiaries who will be part of such groups. Read more »

HHS Secretary Pushes States to Do More on Rate Review

Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius recently called on states to beef up their reviews of proposed insurance rate increases. Read more »