Health Care Spending in Massachusetts Rising Faster Than Inflation

A new report says health care spending in Massachusetts continues to grow faster than the rate of inflation.

The report is from the Center for Health Information and Analysis, created under Massachusetts state law in 2012 to monitor health care spending.

The report says overall spending grew 2.3 percent last year. That is below the cost growth benchmark of 3.6 percent set by the state, but higher than the inflation rate, which was 1.5 percent.

The report says higher spending was driven by the state’s largest health insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; and the biggest provider, Partners HealthCare. Both called the state’s calculations inaccurate.

More than $50 billion was spent on health care, an average of $7,550 per person. Sixty percent went to taxpayer-funded care.

Topics Massachusetts