ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 15 (UPI) -- Increased healthcare spending so far this year is attributed to a rebound in healthcare use while healthcare price inflation has slowed, a report says.
The Health Sector Economic Indicators report released by the Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending found spending in the first four months of 2011 grew at an annual rate of 4.7 percent.
The rate was up from 3.9 percent in 2010, the report found.
"The uptick in the spending growth rate through April is not large enough to be a major concern," center director Charles Roehrig said.
"The low growth in health employment in May and June would, if anything, suggest a leveling off in spending in the next few months.
"Any sharper increase in spending in the next several months would, of course, be a cause for renewed concern and warrant a detailed look at the underlying drivers," he said.
