Last week, the econowonks at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2018 National Health Expenditure (NHE) data, which measures all U.S. spending on healthcare. Links below.
Some drug spending highlights:
- For 2018, spending on outpatient prescription drugs grew by 2.5%—below the spending growth rate on hospitals, physician services, and overall national healthcare costs.
- CMS significantly lowered its previously reported drug spending figures by billions after incorporating new data on manufacturers’ rebates.
These latest CMS data also highlight why the policy debate over healthcare spending is so unbalanced. Too many people—including politicians, journalists, and a certain billionaire—have committed to a false narrative of “skyrocketing” drug spending. I must again note that demonizing pharmaceuticals as the prime driver of U.S. healthcare spending is simply wrong, as you will see below.
Unfortunately, the share and amount that Americans are forced to pay of prescription drug spending is much greater than that of other healthcare services. This circumstance derives from benefit designs, not drug prices. See what you think in our pretty charts below.
Drug Channels Institute will host an exclusive live webinar, Drug Channels Outlook: What You Need to Watch in 2020, on Friday, December 13, 2019, from 12 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. Get ready for what will certainly be another year of change for U.S. healthcare. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND SIGN UP.
If you register but can't make it this Friday, you'll receive a link to watch the replay.
Source: Post feed
