Healthcare Economics Class Underway

Started this course this week.  Already deep into the numbers......some interesting observations I learned today....

New numbers re: healthcare spending are out indicating that health spending in the US last year grew at the slowest rate (4%) in 50 years.

Here are some key points from the report:
a. Health spending continued to outpace overall economic growth, climbing to 17.6% of GDP, one percentage point more than in 2008 and the largest increase in the report’s history.
b. Medicaid spending grew by 9%, up from 4.9% in 2008.
c. Spending for hospital services rose 5.1%, down from 5.2% in 2008.
d. Medicaid spending for hospital care grew 10.2%, up from 3.3% in 2008, while private spending growth slowed to 2.7%.
e. Prescription drug spending totaled $249.9 billion, increasing 5.3% after rising 3.1% in 2008.

Reference:
Davis, P. (2011). Health spending last year grew at slowest rate in 50 years, CMS says. AHA News. January 10. 47(1), p.1.

Finished

Just finished the Health Services Research Course.  Learned a lot on this topic that I didn't know -- stuff that I can put to good use right away in my daily work. 

Wish I had more wisdom to share...but alas...my brain is tired at the moment.  Maybe the wisdom will flow again soon.

I have 2 weeks off now before the Healthcare Finance course begins. 

Our class now has 25% of the coursework toward the doctoral degree complete.