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AHRQ: 5% Of Patients Account For Half Of Healthcare Spending
Just 1% of Americans accounted for 22% of healthcare costs in 2009, according to a federal report released this week. That's about $90,000 per person, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). US residents spent $1.26 trillion that year on healthcare; 5% accounted for 50% of healthcare costs, about $36,000 each, the report said.
The report's findings can be used to predict which consumers are most likely to drive up healthcare costs and determine the best ways to save money, said Steven Cohen, the report's lead author.
While the report showed how a tiny segment of the population can drive healthcare spending, the findings included good news. In 1996, the top 1% of the population accounted for 28% of healthcare spending.
Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/7wp9frh
Sources: Kaiser Health News; USA Today
Varied Access: The Pharmacogenetic Testing Coverage Divide
February 18th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of a study published in the February 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® to uncover significant differences in coverage decisions for pharmacogenetic tests across major US health insurers.
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