What is the medical cost trend in 2023?

Asked by: Prof. Soledad Reichel MD  |  Last update: January 2, 2026
Score: 4.4/5 (51 votes)

Health spending per capita increased greatly, to 7.0% in 2023, up from 4.2% in 2022. The personal consumption expenditure (PCE) price index (inflation) grew 3.8% in 2023, a lower increase than was seen in previous years.

How much will healthcare costs increase in 2023?

Health care prices, as measured by the National Health Expenditure deflator, grew 3.0 percent in 2023 (exhibit 1), similar to the increase of 3.1 percent in 2022 and the average annual growth of 2.5 percent during 2020–22 but distinctly faster than the average rate of 1.4 percent for 2016–19.

What is the trend in healthcare costs?

Health spending in the U.S. increased by 4.1% in 2022 to $4.5 trillion or $13,493 per capita. This growth rate is comparable to pre-pandemic rates (4.1% in 2019).

What is the medical economic index for 2023?

The MEI peaked in 2022 at 4.4%; a year later, spending per Medicare FFS beneficiary rose by 4.2%, and also in 2023 median compensation grew 3% for physicians and 6% for advanced practice providers, the report said.

What is the medical cost trend in 2024?

According to WTW's Global Medical Trends Survey, the cost of medical care benefits in the U.S. is projected to increase about 8.9 percent in 2024, compared with 8.2 percent in 2023.

Key findings from PwC's medical trend cost report, Behind the Numbers 2024

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What is the medical economic index?

The Medicare Economic Index (MEI) is a measure of practice cost inflation that was developed in 1975 to estimate annual changes in physicians' operating costs and establish appropriate Medicare physician payment updates.

What is the inflation rate for medical expenses?

US Health Care Inflation Rate (I:USHCIR)

US Health Care Inflation Rate is at 2.84%, compared to 3.08% last month and 0.45% last year. This is lower than the long term average of 5.11%. US Health Care Inflation Rate reflects the year over year change in the health care component of the US Consumer Price Index.

What is the medical trend rate?

The medical cost trend is defined as the projected percentage increase in the cost to treat patients from one year to the next, assuming benefits remain the same.

Is the cost of healthcare going up?

Summary. The cost of health care in the U.S. is rising fast, representing 17.3% of the gross domestic product in 2022 and expected to increase to 19.7% by 2032.

What is the current CPI for medical care?

Basic Info. US Consumer Price Index: Medical Care is at a current level of 570.03, up from 569.20 last month and up from 554.30 one year ago. This is a change of 0.15% from last month and 2.84% from one year ago.

Who has the worst inflation rate in 2023?

At the end of 2023, Zimbabwe had the highest inflation rate in the world, at 667.36 percent change compared to the previous year.

How much have health care costs increased in the last 10 years?

Source: State Health Expenditure Accounts by State of Residence, 1991-2020, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, accessed November 20, 2022. Between 2010 and 2020, California's health spending per capita grew on average 4.7% per year, exceeding the US rate of 3.8%.

What is the inflation rate for healthcare in 2023?

The analysts—Anne B. Martin, Micah Hartman, Benjamin Washington, and Aaron Catlin, write that “Health care spending in the US reached $4.9 trillion and increased 7.5 percent in 2023, growing from a rate of 4.6 percent in 2022.

Will the Medicare premiums increase in 2023?

The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $164.90 for 2023, a decrease of $5.20 from $170.10 in 2022. The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries is $226 in 2023, a decrease of $7 from the annual deductible of $233 in 2022.

What is the forecast for healthcare spending?

National health expenditures (NHE), which includes both public and private spending on healthcare, are projected to climb from $4.8 trillion, or $14,423 per person, in 2023 to $7.7 trillion, or $21,927 per person, in 2032.

What is the major trend in the healthcare industry today?

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Customer experience, condition-specific care, measurement-based behavioral health care, and generative AI are key trends to watch. The health care landscape is undergoing a significant transformation as we begin 2025.

What is the medical cost trend in 2025?

Inflation, GLP-1 drugs, and catastrophic medical claims will push employer health care costs significantly higher next year, according to new projections. Two new reports found that employers' health care costs will rise between 8% and 9% in 2025 if organizations don't find ways to reduce spending.

What is a medical cost projection?

A Medical Cost Projection is based on medical record review and medical research usually covering a portion of the care while a life care plan is based on an in-person interview with the injured/ill individual, provider communications, review of the medical records and extensive medical research.

What is the health care cost trend in 2024?

WTW's 2024 Best Practices in Healthcare Survey found that U.S. employers project their healthcare costs will increase by 7.7% in 2025, compared with 6.9% in 2024 and 6.5% in 2023.

Have doctor salaries kept up with inflation?

Per a recent report from Medical Economics:

Median total compensation for primary care physicians grew 4.41% in 2022, but inflation exceeded 6% in both 2021 and 2022.

What is the most expensive medical expense?

Currently, exploratory chest surgery, a pre-diagnostic surgery that physicians perform to better diagnose or treat an illness, is the most expensive hospital procedure, costing an average of $137,533. Employers can help employees manage their medical costs by offering a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA).

What three indexes are used in healthcare?

We will now discuss the disease, procedure, and physician indexes. Patient medical records are the source of data for the indexes.

What is the mei of medicare inflation?

The MEI [Medicare Economic Index] is a measure of practice cost inflation based on annual changes in physicians' operating expenses. For 2025, the MEI is projected to be approximately 2.6%.