It's known that patients with the most expensive chronic conditions consume the largest amount of healthcare in the United States, but just how much do these "super utilizers" consume?
According to an August statistical brief from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the top 1 percent of the U.S. healthcare users accounted for 21.4 percent of total health expenditures in 2010. The top 25 percent absorbed roughly 86.4 percent of health spending.
Here are 50 statistics on healthcare utilization and expenditures by population in 2010, according to the AHRQ brief.
Overall
Top 1 percent
Health expenditures: 21.4 percent
Mean expenditures: $87,570
Top 5 percent
Health expenditures: 49.9 percent
Mean expenditures: $40,876
Top 10 percent
Health expenditures: 65.6 percent
Mean expenditures: $26,851
Top 25 percent
Health expenditures: 86.4 percent
Mean expenditures: $14,155
Top 50 percent
Health expenditures: 97.2 percent
Mean expenditures: $7,960
By age
Top 5 percent ages 0-17
Health expenditures: 54.6 percent
Mean expenditures: $16,901
Top 50 percent ages 0-17
Health expenditures: 95.9 percent
Mean expenditures: $2,968
Top 5 percent ages 18-44
Health expenditures: 50.5 percent
Mean expenditures: $24,871
Top 50 percent ages 18-44
Health expenditures: 97.8 percent
Mean expenditures: $4,803
Top 5 percent ages 45-64
Health expenditures: 45 percent
Mean expenditures: $51,881
Top 50 percent ages 45-64
Health expenditures: 95.5 percent
Mean expenditures: $10,956
Top 5 percent ages 65 and older
Health expenditures: 34.1 percent
Mean expenditures: $67,474
Top 50 percent ages 65 and older
Health expenditures: 91.3 percent
Mean expenditures: $18,066
By race/ethnicity
Top 5 percent of white population
Health expenditures: 46.2 percent
Mean expenditures: $43,236
Top 50 percent of white population
Health expenditures: 96.1 percent
Mean expenditures: $8,989
Top 5 percent of black population
Health expenditures: 58.4 percent
Mean expenditures: $47,329
Top 50 percent of black population
Health expenditures: 98.5 percent
Mean expenditures: $7,974
Top 5 percent of Asian population
Health expenditures: 55.1 percent
Mean expenditures: $26,865
Top 50 percent of Asian population
Health expenditures: 98.5 percent
Mean expenditures: $4,759
Top 5 percent of Hispanic population
Health expenditures: 60.3 percent
Mean expenditures: $27,307
Top 50 percent of Hispanic population
Health expenditures: 98.8 percent
Mean expenditures: $4,467
By sex
Top 5 percent of males
Health expenditures: 55.7 percent
Mean expenditures: $40,852
Top 50 percent of males
Health expenditures: 97.9 percent
Mean expenditures: $7,183
Top 5 percent of females
Health expenditures: 45.1 percent
Mean expenditures: $40,617
Top 50 percent of males
Health expenditures: 96.3 percent
Mean expenditures: $8,682
For more reading and analysis of health spending across population subgroups in 2010, read the entire AHRQ brief.
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