While consumers' out-of-pocket spending increased slightly each year from 2012 to 2016, it didn't outpace the growth in total healthcare spending seen during the same period, according to a recent Health Care Cost Institute report.
The 2016 Health Care Cost and Utilization Report examines HCCI's commercial claims database. HCCI used the database, which comprises information on Americans under age 65 covered through employer-sponsored health plans, to analyze out-of-pocket spending from 2012 to 2016.
Here are five things to know about out-of-pocket spending trends.
1. Cumulative growth in out-of-pocket spending between 2012 and 2016 was 12 percent. This was outpaced by total healthcare spending, which grew 15 percent during the same time period.
2. In 2016, HCCI found out-of-pocket spending grew 3.6 percent per person, compared to 2.9 percent in 2015.
3. Total out-of-pocket spending per person increased an average of $88 from 2012 to 2016. This does not include consumer spending on premiums or reflect the out-of-pocket cost of using a certain service, but rather represents an average across the population.
4. From 2012 to 2016, the biggest increase in out-of-pocket spending was for outpatient services, which grew 29 percent. Out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs decreased 15 percent during the same time.
5. Out-of-pocket spending on generic drugs fell 2 percent, while out-of-pocket spending on brand drugs dropped 26 percent per person from 2012 to 2016.
For the full HCCI report, click here.