Tag Archives: CPI

Health Care Costs

CPI: Most Medical Price Hikes Stall

BLSThe Consumer Price Index for March indicates that medical price inflation matched changes in other prices charged to consumers, with a slight uptick of 0.1 percent. Prescription drugs (0.5 percent increase), nursing homes and adult day care, eyeglasses, and health insurance (all with 0.4 percent increases) stood out as continuing to experience higher inflation than other items. Prices for many health goods and services actually dropped.

However, over the last twelve months, medical prices faced by consumers have grown much faster than non-health prices: 3.3 percent versus 0.6 percent. Prescription prices increased 3.4 percent. However, inpatient hospital services and health insurance prices increased much faster, by 5.9 percent and 6.0 percent.

When we compare the medical components of the CPI with those in the Producer Price Index, it appears that hospitals, not drug makers, are shifting more prices directly onto consumers.

(See Table I Below the fold.) Continue reading CPI: Most Medical Price Hikes Stall →

Health Care Costs

CPI: Health Insurance Premiums Jump Amid General Deflation

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BLSThis morning’s Consumer Price Index corroborates yesterday’s Producer Price Index, which indicated health insurance and certain other health prices increased in a generally deflationary environment. While the CPI for all items dropped 0.2 percent in February, health insurance increased 1.3 percent. Over the last twelve months, CPI has increased just 1.0 percent, while health insurance has increased 6.0 percent.

Prescription drugs continue to stand out, as well, having increased 0.9 percent last month and 3.4 percent over twelve months. However, the increase in prescription prices alone cannot explain the health insurance premium hikes.

Inpatient hospitals services also stand out, having increased 0.6 percent last month and 4.8 percent in the last twelve months. Outpatient services are only slightly better.

February’s CPI confirms that, while nominal increases in health prices are moderate, real price increases are quite high, because we are in a generally deflationary environment.

(See Table I below the fold.) Continue reading CPI: Health Insurance Premiums Jump Amid General Deflation →

Health Care Costs

CPI: Health Insurance Premiums Jump

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BLSThis morning’s Consumer Price Index showed a significant jump of 1.1 percent in health insurance premiums in January, versus a flat CPI for all items and a 0.3 percent rise in CPI for all items less food and energy. Prices for physician services increased only 0.1 percent, less than prices for other services.

This corroborates the Producer Price Index, which showed a slight decrease in physician prices. However, the divergence in price increases for prescription drugs in the CPI and PPI is continuing. Prescription prices in the CPI increased by only 0.5 percent, in line with medical care overall.

Over the last twelve months, prices for medical care still increased a little more than twice as fast as the CPI for all items, and 0.7 percentage points more than the CPI for all items less food and energy. Relatively speaking, medical inflation is not as tame as some others suggest.

Further, over the past twelve months, price increases for health insurance and hospital services stand out significantly more than price increases for prescription drugs. (See Table I below the fold.) Continue reading CPI: Health Insurance Premiums Jump →

Health Care Costs

Is Health Inflation Really Quite Tame?

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increaseI sometimes feel the odd man out when addressing inflation in U.S. health care. I discuss the monthly Consumer Price Index and Producer Price Index releases, as well as other monthly and quarterly economic releases that include health spending. I have suggested health inflation is stirring, which is counter to respected scholars like Chris Conover of Duke University and those at the Altarum Institute, the “go to” source for analysis of health inflation.

However, I seem to be siding with ordinary Americans, who are struggling as much as they ever did to pay medical bills. I expect people still struggle because, although inflation in health goods and services is low by historical standards, it is high relative to general inflation faced by consumers. Continue reading Is Health Inflation Really Quite Tame? →

Health Care Costs

CPI: Prescription Prices Finally Drop Amid General Deflation

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BLSMedical prices grew 0.1 percent, versus a decrease of 0.1 percent for all other items, in December’s Consumer Price Index. Prices for prescription drugs actually decreased 0.3 percent, even better than the small price increase in the Producer Price Index (PPI).

Prices for physicians’ services were flat, however, whereas they had jumped in the PPI. Because CPI measures prices as observed by consumers and PPI prices as observed by producers, this suggests that prices paid to physicians by non-consumers (i.e., third parties) have increased more than prices paid by consumers. This supports the principle that when consumers face prices directly, prices go up less than when intermediated by third parties.

Overall, medical care inflation was tame in December. Longer term, it still significantly outpaced the CPI other than medical care, by two percent over the year (Table I). Continue reading CPI: Prescription Prices Finally Drop Amid General Deflation →

Health Care Costs

CPI: Hospitals Under Pressure As Physician Prices Rise

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BLSNovember’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicates health prices are moderating, though still increasing higher than non-heath consumer goods. In the third piece of bad news for hospitals (from their perspective, at least, after the Quarterly Services Survey and the Producer Price Index), prices for hospital services actually dropped (See Table I). Continue reading CPI: Hospitals Under Pressure As Physician Prices Rise →

Health Care Costs

CPI: Medical Prices Rose Three Times Faster Than Other Prices; Hospitals Stand Out

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BLSOctober’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) confirms medical prices continue to spring ahead of prices for other goods and services. Overall CPI increased 0.2 percent on the month and also 0.2 percent, year on year. Medical prices, on the other hand, increased 0.7 percent on the month and 3.0 percent, year on year (Table I).

20151117 CPI Continue reading CPI: Medical Prices Rose Three Times Faster Than Other Prices; Hospitals Stand Out →

Health Care Costs

CPI: Deflation Except In Health Care (Again)

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I admitBLS this is getting a little repetitive, but it is not my fault the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases the Consumer Price Index one day after the Producer Price Index. The CPI confirms (once again) the price behavior indicated by yesterday’s PPI.

While consumer prices were down 0.2 percent, month on month, and flat year on year, medical prices increased 0.2 percent and 2.5 percent (Table I). However, prescription drugs experienced quite moderate price increases last month. This means that while prices of medical goods and services overall increased, month on month, there was no sticker shock versus the CPI. Unfortunately, yesterday’s PPI suggests that price increases are flowing through the system again, and we can expect to see a pick-up in health prices versus overall inflation, in future CPIs. Continue reading CPI: Deflation Except In Health Care (Again) →

Health Care Costs

Consumer Price Index: Amid Disinflation, Medical Prices Increasing

BLSYesterday’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) release confirmed prices of medical goods and services continue to rise at a steady pace, despite the general deflationary environment. The CPI declined 0.1 percent from July to August (seasonally adjusted), and increased just 0.2 percent in the last twelve months.

Much of the disinflation is caused by dropping energy prices. Excluding food and energy, the CPI increased 0.1 percent last month and 1.8 percent over the last twelve months. Medical care, although flat last month, increased 2.5 percent over the last twelve months (see Table I). This is moderate by historical standards, but still excessive relative to current CPI. Continue reading Consumer Price Index: Amid Disinflation, Medical Prices Increasing →

Health Care Costs

Health Prices Outpace Other Consumer Prices

Today’s release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicates that prices of health services are outpacing other consumer goods and services by a multiple. From February to March, the seasonally adjusted CPI increased 0.2 percent. Medical care services overall increased at twice that rate, 0.4 percent, while physicians’ and hospital services both increased by 0.6 percent.

Year on year, the situation is even worse. The CPI showed slight deflation of minus 0.1 percent, while prices of medical care services have increased 1.9 percent, physicians’ services 1.7 percent and hospital services a startling 3.4 percent.

With respect to health goods, price increases might be tapering. Although prices of medical care commodities increased 4.2 percent, year on year, they only increased 0.1 percent last month. Nonprescription drugs, medical equipment, and medical supplies actually had small decreases in prices last month.