Growth in Health Spending Smallest in 50 Years

Healthcare spending grew just 2.7 percent in the first half of 2010, the smallest increase since the Bureau of Economic Analysis began tracking medical care more than 50 years ago, according to a report by USA Today.

When inflation is taken into account, healthcare spending actually fell by 0.2 percent. The drop wasn't predicted by federal forecasts and is attributed to the bad economy and high unemployment.

However, there was a growth in expenditures for Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs. These programs paid a record 46.1 percent of U.S. healthcare expenditures in the second quarter, up from 42.3 percent before the recession began in December 2007.

Medicare has grown since 2007 by 3 million to 47 million enrollees. Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program cover 59 million people, up 7 million from 2007.

Read the USA Today report on healthcare spending.

Learn more about healthcare spending:

Study Finds Massachusetts Hospitals Per Capita Spending Highest in the World

Healthcare Spending Reaches 17.3% of GNP, Largest 1-Year Rise Ever Recorded

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