Despite the recession, spending on healthcare services for children covered by employer-based health insurance rose 5.5 percent annually on average between 2009 and 2012, according to a Health Care Cost Institute report.
The report is based on fee-for-service claims for 10.5 million children per year younger than 19 who were covered by employer-sponsored insurance. For all of the years studied, price increases contributed to spending growth more than utilization of services did, according to HCCI. Per capita spending on children was $2,437 in 2012, $363 more than in 2009.
Furthermore, until age 14, boys accounted for higher healthcare spending than girls, and boys of all ages had higher brand-name prescription drug spending. In 2012, spending for boys was $2,572 per capita, compared with $2,296 for girls. Out-of-pocket spending in 2012 was also greater per capita for boys ($440) than for girls ($414). Overall, 17.5 percent of healthcare expenditures on children 18 or younger were paid out-of-pocket in 2012.
However, for those 14 and older, healthcare expenditures were higher for girls ($2,668 per capita in 2012) than for boys ($2,568). This change was driven by higher rates of inpatient hospital admissions, higher use of prescriptions (such as hormonal birth control) and greater mental health services admissions among teenage girls.
For more key findings, read the full report here.
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