Medicare Per Capita Costs Grow 2.4% in 2011, Compared to 6.9% for Commercial Health Insurance

  During 2011, the average per capita cost for inpatient and outpatient hospital and professional health care services covered by Medicare increased by 2.4%, and costs for commercial health plans increased by 6.9%. Overall, between October 2010 and September 2011, the average per-capita cost for inpatient and outpatient hospital and professional health care services increased by 5.11%. The 2011 growth rate data were released by S&P Indices for the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Healthcare Economic Composite Index, which tracks the variability in health care cost trends as 12-month moving weighted averages . . .