Fact Check: Have healthcare costs risen faster since the Affordable Care Act was passed?
No
While health care costs have continued to increase since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010, they’ve done so at a slower rate than in the years before the law was passed.
A 2021 study published in JAMA found that out-of-pocket healthcare expenses increased at an average of 3.4% a year from 2000-2009 and 1.9% a year from 2010-2018, after the ACA. This may be partially attributable to macroeconomic conditions: inflation was slightly lower from 2010 to 2018 (1.77%) than 2000-2009 (2.56%). A 2020 Health Affairs study noted annual healthcare spending growth decreased from 6.9% (2000-2009) to 4.3% (2010-2018) post-ACA, and that though the literature debated the ACA’s role in this, no paper linked the ACA to increased growth in healthcare spending.
In 2023 dollars, healthcare spending per person was about $11,150 in 2010 and $14,500 by 2023.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources:
Health Affairs How The ACA Dented The Cost Curve
Peterson-KFF How has U.S. spending on healthcare changed over time?
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