Healthcare spending growth slowed in July, falling to 5.6 percent year-over-year, according to the latest economic indicators from Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending, the American Hospital Association reported.
The center found prescription drug prices rose 4.4 percent, continuing to outpace any other healthcare category. Hospital prices rose by 0.9 percent while prices for physicians and clinical services were 1.1 percent lower than last year.
Hospitals have added more than 105,000 jobs since January, a sevenfold increase compared to the same timeframe in 2014, according to the Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending. Overall, the healthcare sector added 314,000 jobs, nearly double the number added during the same period last year.
"It is no accident that the healthcare share of total jobs has reached a new high at the same time that the share of the population without health insurance is at a new low," said Charles Roehrig, director of the center.