"This report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality presents descriptive data on health care spending in the United States."--Abstract.

Objective The objective of this study is to (1) provide estimates of healthcare spending of children and youth in the U.S. from 1996 through 2012 across types of goods and services, age groups, sex groups, and causes of illness and healthcare events; (2) explain changes in healthcare spending among children and youth over time; and (3) estimate average total healthcare spending between birth and age 16. Method Data from the National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA) are used to provide total healthcare spending across different categories of goods or services. Microdata are used to estimate the composition of healthcare spending across age groups, sex groups, and causes of illness or healthcare events within each category. Healthcare spending estimates are analyzed across levels and changes. A decomposition method is employed to explain changes in healthcare spending across increases in population, prevalence, utilization, and prices. Estimates are aggregated across cohorts to ascertain healthcare spending over an average child's childhood. Results From 1996 to 2012 children's healthcare spending increased from $161 billion to $259 billion, the most of which was ambulatory care spending. Per capita (per child) healthcare spending is greatest for under-1-year-olds. The $98 billion increase in spending was mostly due to increases in prices over the time period. Over the course of the prior 16 years, on average, a 16-year-old in 2012 spent $37,454 on healthcare. Conclusion The findings from these analyses will serve as valuable evidence for health policymakers, providers of pediatric services, and families in the planning for children's health.

"This report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality presents estimates of total nursing home expenses during 1996."--Abstract.

Hidden Cost, Value Lost, the fifth of a series of six books on the consequences of uninsurance in the United States, illustrates some of the economic and social losses to the country of maintaining so many people without health insurance. The book explores the potential economic and societal benefits that could be realized if everyone had health insurance on a continuous basis, as people over age 65 currently do with Medicare. Hidden Costs, Value Lost concludes that the estimated benefits across society in health years of life gained by providing the uninsured with the kind and amount of health services that the insured use, are likely greater than the additional social costs of doing so. The potential economic value to be gained in better health outcomes from uninterrupted coverage for all Americans is estimated to be between $65 and $130 billion each year.

During the last 25 years, life expectancy at age 50 in the United States has been rising, but at a slower pace than in many other high-income countries, such as Japan and Australia. This difference is particularly notable given that the United States spends more on health care than any other nation. Concerned about this divergence, the National Institute on Aging asked the National Research Council to examine evidence on its possible causes. According to Explaining Divergent Levels of Longevity in High-Income Countries, the nation's history of heavy smoking is a major reason why lifespans in the United States fall short of those in many other high-income nations. Evidence suggests that current obesity levels play a substantial part as well. The book reports that lack of universal access to health care in the U.S. also has increased mortality and reduced life expectancy, though this is a less significant factor for those over age 65 because of Medicare access. For the main causes of death at older ages-cancer and cardiovascular disease-available indicators do not suggest that the U.S. health care system is failing to prevent deaths that would be averted elsewhere. In fact, cancer detection and survival appear to be better in the U.S. than in most other high-income nations, and survival rates following a heart attack also are favorable. Explaining Divergent Levels of Longevity in High-Income Countries identifies many gaps in research. For instance, while lung cancer deaths are a reliable marker of the damage from smoking, no clear-cut marker exists for obesity, physical inactivity, social integration, or other risks considered in this book. Moreover, evaluation of these risk factors is based on observational studies, which-unlike randomized controlled trials-are subject to many biases.