National Health Care Spending In 2020: Growth Driven By Federal Spending In Response To The COVID-19 Pandemic
Micah Hartman, Anne B. Martin, Benjamin Washington, Aaron Catlin, The National Health Expenditure Accounts Team
Abstract
US health care spending increased 9.7 percent to reach $4.1 trillion in 2020, a much faster rate than the 4.3 percent increase seen in 2019. The acceleration in 2020 was due to a 36.0 percent increase in federal expenditures for health care that occurred largely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, gross domestic product declined 2.2 percent, and the share of the economy devoted to health care spending spiked, reaching 19.7 percent. In 2020 the number of uninsured people fell, while at the same time there were significant shifts in types of coverage.
Topics & Concepts
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)PandemicHealth spendingHealth careGross domestic product2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Demographic economicsFellEconomicsBusinessEconomic growthMedicineGeographyOutbreakHealth insuranceVirologyPathologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)CartographyDiseaseCOVID-19 and healthcare impactsHealthcare cost, quality, practicesHealthcare Policy and Management