Wednesday's health stories
Spending on health care slows, but still outpaces GDP
The U.S. spent $3.34 trillion on health care in 2016 — a 4.3% increase from 2015 and an amount that almost equals Germany's entire economy, according to new data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. That spending growth is slightly lower than what CMS initially predicted in February, and it's a lower growth rate than 2014 and 2015.
Yes, but: Even a slower 4.3% uptick in health care spending greatly outpaced the 2.8% growth of the broader U.S. economy. Health care continues to absorb a greater share of the overall economy, which eats into other areas like education and infrastructure.
More opioid patients are dying in the hospital
We're getting better at keeping hospital patients alive — unless they're in the hospital because of opioids. A study published in the new issue of Health Affairs finds that mortality rates for opioid patients quadrupled between 2000 and 2014. The hospital mortality rate for other drugs stayed about the same, while survival rates for all other hospitalizations improved over the same period.
Between the lines: Patients admitted for opioid/heroin poisoning were more likely to be: white, ages 50–64, Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities, and residents of lower-income areas.
ACA mandate repeal may be less popular than GOP thinks
The tax bill that just passed the Senate eliminates the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, and the House is likely to go along when Congress writes the final version. With the tax legislation moving so quickly and the mandate lost in the maze of so many other consequential provisions, we are not likely to have much public debate about this big change in health policy.
