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Health spending in the U.S. rose by 7.5% in 2023, to $4.9 trillion, compared with an increase of 4.6% in 2022, according to figures released Wednesday by CMS. "Much of the growth came from faster growth and spending [by] private health insurance, which increased 11.5%, and Medicare, which increased 8.1%," Anne Martin, of the CMS Office of the Actuary, said during a briefing sponsored by Health Affairs. "For Medicaid, although spending and enrollment continue to increase, the rates of growth were lower in 2023 compared with 2022 -- Medicaid spending grew by 7.9% in 2023 compared with 9.7% growth in 2022." (Frieden, 12/18)

U.S spending on hospital care grew at its fastest clip in more than three decades last year, according to a new federal analysis of health expenditures. Higher demand for medical procedures, including more Medicare patients receiving outpatient care, helped drive a 10.4% year-over-year spending surge on hospitals while prices for services remained relatively stable. (Goldman, 12/19)

The killing of a health insurance executive in New York City prompted a furious outpouring of anger over the industry and healthcare prices. So just how much have healthcare costs and spending been going up? The short answer: a lot. National healthcare spending increased 7.5% year over year in 2023 to $4.867 trillion, or $14,570 per person, according to data released Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  (Torry, 12/18)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Obamacare Sign-Ups Lag After Trump Election, Legal Challenges

New enrollments under the Affordable Care Act are on pace to trail last year’s record numbers by as many as a million as the outgoing Biden administration confronts upheavals in the program. Donald Trump’s election to a second term has cast uncertainty around the future of the health law. In addition, the Biden administration implemented cumbersome policies to reduce fraudulent enrollment and is combating a lawsuit that aims to block immigrants who lack legal residency from buying insurance under the program. (Appleby, 12/19)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: He Went In For A Colonoscopy. The Hospital Charged $19,000 For Two

Tom Contos is an avid runner. When he started experiencing rectal bleeding in March, he thought exercise could be the cause and tried to ignore it. But he became increasingly worried when the bleeding continued for weeks. The Chicago health care consultant contacted his physician at Northwestern Medicine, who referred him for a diagnostic colonoscopy, at least partly because Contos, 45, has a family history of colon issues. (Meyer, 12/19)

The suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive on a Manhattan sidewalk this month will now face federal charges in addition to the state murder indictment brought against him, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. ... Federal charges would potentially allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, which has been outlawed in New York for decades. (Marcius, Rashbaum and Meko, 12/18)