Health-care spending growth dips to 3-year low

NEW YORK (AP) -- Health-care spending growth slowed to its lowest level in three years as people had higher out-of-pocket costs for medicines and services previously covered by insurance, a new study found.
Experts believe those confronted with higher co-payments and deductibles often chose to go without care -- depressing overall spending.
Spending on privately insured Americans increased 8.5 percent from January through June of this year, down from a 10 percent increase in the second half of 2002, according to the Center for Studying Health System Change. Health-care spending growth hasn't been this low since the second half of 2000, when it was also 8.5 percent.
Spending eased in all major health-care categories: inpatient hospital care, outpatient care, prescription drugs and physicians services. Prescription-drug spending lost the most momentum, rising only 8.5 percent in the first half of 2003, or nearly 5 percentage points less than the 13.4 percent increase in the second half of 2002.
"As patients are having to share more of the costs, the fact is that more and more patients go without care," said Paul Ginsburg, president of the Washington D.C.-based center.