Healthcare spending is rising in Massachusetts, home to some of the most influential healthcare businesses, according to a new report from the Center For Health Information and Analysis.
Health expenditures grew 3.9 percent from the prior year, to $8,424 per resident -- amounting to $57 billion statewide. That growth rate exceeded the target set by both inflation (0.6 percent) and the Health Policy Commission (3.6 percent).
It was also slower than projected for per capita national healthcare expenditures, which clocked in at 4.6 percent; and it was in line with the per capita growth of the Massachusetts economy.
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Overall spending grew across the major categories of total healthcare expenditures, including public coverage, commercial coverage and the net cost of private health insurance.
Among public payers, the growth in spending was 3.8 percent, down three percentage points from 2014. MassHealth spending, which had previously risen by about 18 percent during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2014, grew by 4.6 percent.
Pharmacy spending continued to grow at a robust clip, at 10.1 percent in 2015, following 13.5 percent growth the previous year.
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At 4.4 percent, cost-sharing among private commercial members continued to increase faster than inflation and wage growth; members continue to bear a greater share of healthcare costs, the report found.
Individual enrollment, meanwhile, increased by more than 90,000, jumping up to 170,000 total enrollees as subsidized and unsubsidized coverage became available through the Health Connector.
The report found that the quality of Massachusetts providers tend to be at or above national averages, but there's room to improve -- especially when it comes to service quality and patient outcomes.
The findings of the report will help inform the Health Policy Commission's 2016 Health Care Cost Trends Hearing, scheduled for October 17 and 18. The annual hearing is a public examination into the drivers of healthcare costs; experts are expected to identify specific challenges and opportunities in Massachusetts' healthcare system.
Twitter: @JELagasse