Why America’s health-care spending is projected to soar over the next decade

U.S. health-care spending grew 4.8 percent last year, as the country has emerged from a period of historically low health spending growth, according to new federal estimates. However, that growth is projected to accelerate over the next decade as Americans age and medical prices rise.

The country spent $3.4 trillion on health care in 2016, a number that is projected to grow to $5.5 trillion by 2025. The study, by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, projects that the average growth in health spending will be even faster between 2016 and 2025, at 5.6 percent per year, driven by inflation in the cost of medical services and products and an aging population.