Which type of coverage has the highest total annual health care spending in US?

Asked by: Darwin O'Hara  |  Last update: January 7, 2026
Score: 4.8/5 (53 votes)

Private health insurance was the largest source of funding for personal health care expenditures. SOURCE: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditures Accounts. See Sources and Definitions, National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA) and Health, United States, 2020–2021 Table HExpPers.

Which type of insurance provides the largest source of health care coverage in the US?

Private health insurance is the predominant source of health insurance coverage in the United States and includes both group coverage (largely made up of employer-sponsored insurance) and direct-purchase coverage (which includes plans directly purchased from an insurer both on the health insurance exchanges and outside ...

Which of the following is the largest payment source of U.S. health care spending?

In 2022, the federal government and households accounted for the largest shares of national health spending (33% and 28%, respectively), followed by private businesses (18%), state and local governments (15%), and other private revenues (6%).

What area of health care spends the largest amount of the health care dollar?

Hospital care, physician and clinical services, and prescription drug expenditures are consistently the three largest personal healthcare spending categories. Expenditures in these three categories totaled $2.6 trillion and accounted for 72% of all personal healthcare spending in 2021.

What is the main driver of healthcare spending in the US?

Technology. According to a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), its authors agree that technological change is the most important driver of health care spending increases over time.

The real reason American health care is so expensive

15 related questions found

What does the US spend the most on in healthcare?

Personal health care expenditures—which account for the largest shares of total national health expenditures— are outlays for goods and services relating directly to patient care, such as hospital care, physicians' and dentists' services, prescription drugs, eyeglasses, and nursing home care.

What is the biggest cost driver in healthcare?

Most health spending in the U.S. and peer countries is on hospital and physician care, followed by prescription drugs. In the U.S., hospital spending represented nearly a third (30.4%) of overall health spending in 2022, and physicians/clinics represented 19.8% of total spending.

What is the most expensive part of healthcare in the US?

The highest expenditure category by place of service for the full population is outpatient care. Expenditures for high resource patients (HRP) attributed to inpatient care/hospitalizations are significantly higher than in the full population.

Where is the most money in healthcare?

Read on to learn more about these high-paying and high-impact medical professions.
  • Physician or surgeon. Physicians and surgeons are responsible for diagnosing and treating illnesses and injuries in their patients. ...
  • Dentist. ...
  • Podiatrist. ...
  • Pharmacist. ...
  • Optometrist. ...
  • Nurse practitioner. ...
  • Physician assistant. ...
  • Veterinarian.

What is are the largest payers of healthcare services in the US?

Medicare is the single largest payer for health care services in the United States.

What do hospitals spend the most money on?

What is a hospital's biggest expense?
  • Construction and renovation.
  • Food service.
  • Hospital salaries for doctors, healthcare providers, hospital executives, and support staff.
  • Hospital and medical equipment.
  • Medical and surgical supplies.
  • Patient medications.
  • Software and information technology solutions.

Who funds Medicare and Medicaid?

Funding for Medicare, which totaled $888 billion in 2021, comes primarily from general revenues (46%), payroll tax revenues (34%), and premiums paid by beneficiaries (15%) (Figure 8). Other sources include taxes on Social Security benefits, payments from states, and interest.

Which health insurance is biggest?

1. UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealthcare, part of UnitedHealth Group, is the largest health insurance company, based on revenue. UnitedHealthcare sells individual and family plans and group plans, which you get through an employer.

What is the largest source of payment for healthcare services?

When viewed individually, private insurance programs were the largest single source of funding for healthcare expenditures in 2022, followed by Medicare (22 percent) and Medicaid (19 percent). The amounts paid for particular services vary across insurance programs and have changed over time.

What is the most used insurance in the US?

Market share in 2023
  • UnitedHealth Group (including UnitedHealthcare) 15.34% 16.37%
  • Elevance Health Inc. ( formerly Anthem) 7.16% ...
  • Centene Corp. 6.68% 6.76%
  • Humana. 6.03% ...
  • CVS Health (including Aetna Health) 5.82% ...
  • Kaiser Foundation (Kaiser Permanente) 6.18% ...
  • Health Care Services Corporation (HCSC) 3.53% ...
  • Cigna Health. 2.39%

What is the largest source of healthcare coverage?

Medicaid is the nation's largest single source of coverage primarily serving low-income populations – children and their families, adults, seniors and disabled individuals.

What is the main type of healthcare system in the United States?

In the United States, healthcare is largely provided by private sector healthcare facilities, and paid for by a combination of public programs, private insurance, and out-of-pocket payments.

What is the most expensive form of health care insurance?

Platinum health insurance is the most expensive type of health care coverage you can purchase. You pay low out-of-pocket expenses for appointments and services, but high monthly premiums.

Who has the highest healthcare costs in the world?

Health Expenditure in the U.S.

The United States is the highest spending country worldwide when it comes to health care. In 2022, total health expenditure in the U.S. exceeded four trillion dollars. Expenditure as a percentage of GDP is projected to increase to approximately 20 percent by the year 2031.

Which type of insurance plan allows more flexibility in choosing healthcare providers but is more expensive?

PPOs are more flexible, but they are also more expensive. In addition to higher premiums, PPOs require users to pay a deductible before covering medical expenses. However, these plans usually have an out-of-pocket maximum, which means the insurer pays all additional costs once the patient spends a certain amount.

What is the largest healthcare cost?

Hospital spending represented close to a third (31.2%) of overall health spending in 2023, and physicians/clinics represented 20.1% of total spending. Prescription drugs accounted for 9.2% of total health spending in 2023.

What are the major drivers of costs?

Types of Drivers in Cost Accounting
  • Number of set-ups.
  • Number of machine hours.
  • Number of processed orders.
  • Number of orders completed.
  • Number of labor hours.
  • Number of orders packed and delivered.

What is the biggest expense for health care providers?

Personnel costs are the largest expense in most healthcare facilities. They include salaries and benefits for employees, as well as pension, and other post-employment costs. Supplies and services are the next largest expense, followed by depreciation.