Health Care Spending Grew 7.5% In 2023, Reaches $4.9 Trillion

Between 2022 and 2023, health care spending increased by 7.5%, rising from $4.6 trillion to $4.9 trillion, according to the most recent National Health Expenditure (NHE) projections. In 2022, the NHE increased by 4.6%. The acceleration in spending growth was attributed to an increase in service use and higher service intensity, and growth in other non-price factors. In both 2022 and 2023, the NHE represented about 17.5% of the gross domestic product, at 17.4% in 2022 and 17.6% in 2023.

The NHE includes two main categories: health consumption expenditures (HCE) and investments . . .