U.S. Annual Healthcare Spending? A Stunning $3.4 Trillion

Deloitte Center for Health Solutions issued a new report titled "The Hidden Costs of U.S. Healthcare: Consumer Discretionary Healthcare Spending", which states that the National Healthcare Expenditure for 2012 is $3.46 trillion. Furthermore, they predict a conservative growth rate of 4%.

Deloitte claims that there is additional healthcare consumer spending that is not included in federal calculations that amounts to $672 billion for 2012. This additional consumer spending includes costs that consumers spend every year either directly or as caregivers for family/friends with an illness.

Deloitte says that $530 billion is due to “imputed indirect costs associated with supervisory care”, and this category can be divided into the five subdivisions of nutrition/ supplements ($63 billion), complimentary and alternative medicine ($33 billion), all other ambulatory ($20 billion), homes for the elderly ($20 billion), and other ($6 billion).

Summary by MedicalGroups.com

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