Health care job growth slowed in April, with just 19,000 new jobs created compared to the 24-month average of 24,000 jobs. Prior to April, job growth for the first quarter of 2012 was 97,000, leaving the health share of national employment at a record high of 10.8 percent
Health care prices rose just 1.8 percent in February 2012, the lowest rate of inflation since April 1998. Price growth for nearly all health categories moderated, especially hospital care and physician services.
January and February 2012 saw the largest ever two-month increase in health care jobs, with 49,000 new jobs created in February and 43,000 in January. The soaring job creation has brought the health sector share of total national employment to an all-time high of 10.8 percent.
A new study of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in Wisconsin shows that participants overwhelmingly accepted the new foods offered to them through changes to the WIC program. The study was conducted by Michigan-based Altarum Institute and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers WIC.
New analysis shows that health care spending in the U.S. in 2011 grew at one of the slowest rates in 50 years according to the February Health Sector Economic Indicators briefs released today by Altarum Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health Spending.
The January Health Sector Economic Indicators briefs released by Altarum Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health Spending indicate that over the first 11 months of 2011, health spending has grown at an annual rate of 4.5 percent, compared to the 3.9 percent increase for 2010, which has just been officially released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This growth was driven by high spending early in 2011 followed by a gradual, steady decline. Spending grew by only 3.6 percent in November 2011 relative to November 2010. Thus, while spending for 2011 as a whole is up, the nation will likely enter 2012 with health spending growth near the record-low levels experienced in 2009 and 2010.
The December Health Sector Economic Indicators briefs released today by Altarum Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health Spending indicate that October health price inflation, at 1.9 percent, represents a 13-year low; health spending growth in October ticked down to 5.0 percent, and health employment in November exhibited below-average growth of 17,000 jobs.
The Michigan Center for Effective IT Adoption announced today that more than 3,724 primary care providers in Michigan have committed to adopting electronic health records to help improve their quality of care and lower health care costs. This represents a commitment by almost one-quarter of primary care providers in the state to work with M-CEITA, Michigan’s federally designated Health IT Regional Extension Center, to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs as a way to transition from paper records to EHRs. M-CEITA, founded in 2010 with a $19 million grant to the nonprofit Altarum Institute, helps Michigan health care providers adopt certified EHR systems by providing unbiased information and support to navigate the complex EHR marketplace. M-CEITA also received support from the Kresge Foundation.
The November Health Sector Economic Indicators briefs from Altarum Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health Spending indicate that health price inflation remains flat – up only 2.1 percent in September compared to September 2010 – continuing an 8-month trend of near 2 percent inflation. Total health spending, led by higher hospital spending, grew by 5.2 percent in September relative to September 2010. The average spending growth rate for the third quarter of 2011 was also 5.2 percent, compared to 4.8 percent growth in the second quarter of 2011. The health spending share of the total economy remains above 18 percent for the fifth consecutive month. The November briefs also point to a slower rate of health employment for October, with a rise of 12,000. The previous three months, on average, saw 36,000 health jobs added per month.
The October Health Sector Economic Indicators briefs from Altarum Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health Spending indicate that health spending in August grew by 5.0 percent relative to August 2010, matching the annualized growth rate for the first eight months of 2011. This contrasts with the 9 percent increase in family premiums recently reported for 2011. Health care prices were up only 2.1 percent compared to August 2010 – well below economy-wide inflation. Between August and September, the health sector added 44,000 jobs, the largest monthly gain in nearly a decade, resulting in yet another record share of total jobs.
