U.S. hospitals charged $873 billion in 2005 — a nearly 90 percent increase from the $462 billion charged in 1997 — according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The inflation-adjusted 2005 bill represents the amount charged for 39 million hospital stays.
With an average annual growth rate in hospital charges of 4.5 percent, researchers predict the bill will reach $1 trillion by 2008.
AHRQ also found:
-Medicare paid $411 billion of the national bill, followed by private insurance ($272 billion) and Medicaid ($124 billion).
-The uninsured accounted for $38 billion.
This is taken from the AHRQ report:
|
Table 1. Top 20 most expensive conditions treated in U.S. hospitals, 2005 |
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|
Rank |
Principal diagnosis |
Total national hospital bill (millions) |
Percentage of national hospital bill |
Number of hospital stays (thousands) |
|
1 |
Coronary artery disease |
$45,985 |
5.3% |
1,110 |
|
2 |
Mother’s pregnancy and delivery |
$43,925 |
5.0% |
4,712 |
|
3 |
Newborn infants |
$35,316 |
4.0% |
4,429 |
|
4 |
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI, heart attack) |
$31,946 |
3.7% |
662 |
|
5 |
Congestive heart failure (CHF) |
$30,230 |
3.5% |
1,090 |
|
6 |
Pneumonia |
$29,535 |
3.4% |
1,355 |
|
7 |
Osteoarthritis |
$26,157 |
3.0% |
738 |
|
8 |
Complication of device, implant or graft |
$25,291 |
2.9% |
616 |
|
9 |
Sepsis |
$24,801 |
2.8% |
538 |
|
10 |
Back pain (spondylosis, intervertebral disc disorders, other back problems) |
$20,327 |
2.3% |
647 |
|
11 |
Respiratory failure, insufficiency, arrest (adult) |
$19,723 |
2.3% |
336 |
|
12 |
Cardiac dysrhythmias |
$17,224 |
2.0% |
697 |
|
13 |
Acute cerebrovascular disease (stroke) |
$17,060 |
2.0% |
526 |
|
14 |
Rehabilitation care, fitting of prostheses, and adjustment of devices |
$13,848 |
1.6% |
517 |
|
15 |
Complications of surgical procedures or medical care |
$13,316 |
1.5% |
463 |
|
16 |
Gall bladder disease |
$11,719 |
1.3% |
456 |
|
17 |
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) |
$11,506 |
1.3% |
630 |
|
18 |
Diabetes mellitus with complications |
$11,171 |
1.3% |
491 |
|
19 |
Hip fracture |
$10,869 |
1.2% |
317 |
|
20 |
Nonspecific chest pain |
$10,027 |
1.1% |
825 |
|
Total for top 20 conditions |
$449,976 |
51.5% |
21,155 |
|
|
Total for all hospitalizations |
$873,236 |
100.0% |
39,164 |
|
|
Source: AHRQ, Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 2005. |
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Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer