U.S. health care spending rose by 4.6% from 2017 to 2018, reaching $3.65 trillion, according to CMS data published in Health Affairs. However, CMS in a release noted that growth rate was lower than the 5.4% growth in the nation’s gross domestic product from 2017 to 2018 and, as such, the share of the U.S. economy that was devoted to health care decreased slightly from 17.9% in 2017 to 17.7% in 2018. (Source: Wall Street Journal, 12/5)
