Healthcare Expenditures

Per AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, STATISTICAL BRIEF #533: Concentration of Healthcare Expenditures and Selected Characteristics of High Spenders, U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2018, January 2021.

• In 2018, the top 1 percent of persons ranked by their healthcare expenditures accounted for about 21 percent of total healthcare expenditures, while the bottom 50 percent accounted for only about 3 percent.
• Persons ages 65 and older and whites were disproportionately represented in the top spending tiers.
• Inpatient hospital care accounted for 36 percent of spending for persons in the top 5 percent of the spending distribution.
• About three-quarters of aggregate expenses for persons in the top 5 percent of spenders were paid for by private insurance or Medicare.